Adopted by Council October 29, 1994
Amended and approved by Membership, December 2014

Mission of the AACAP

The Mission of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is to promote the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research, and to meet the professional needs of child and adolescent psychiatrists throughout their careers.

Functions and Roles of the AACAP

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's role is to lead its membership through collective action, peer support, continuing education, and mobilization of resources.

The Academy:

1. Establishes and supports the highest ethical and professional standards of clinical practice,
2. Advocates for the mental health and public health needs of children, adolescents and families,
3. Promotes research, scholarship, training and continued expansion of the scientific base of our profession,
4. Liaisons with other physicians and health care providers and collaborates with others who share common goals.

Description of the AACAP

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is a professional medical organization comprised of child and adolescent psychiatrists trained to promote healthy development and to evaluate, diagnose, and treat children and adolescents and their families who are affected by disorders of feeling, thinking, learning, and behavior. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are physicians who are uniquely qualified to integrate knowledge about human behavior and development from biological, psychological, familial, social, and cultural perspectives with scientific, humanistic, and collaborative approaches to diagnosis, treatment and the promotion of mental health.