CMHS Report to Congress on Child Mental Health

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Posted by American Psychiatric Association on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

In the Report

--The 67-page report, Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health: Strengthening Parenting and Enhancing Child Resilience, was prepared by CMHS at the request of a Senate subcommittee, which charged the agency with reviewing the effectiveness of programs that use a strengths-based family approach to prevention and mental health promotion among at-risk children. Section 1 of the report, which provides the rationale for a public health approach, summarizes research on risk factors and on protective factors that may lead to a child's resilience. The report notes that resilience is not a static trait and that "individuals do not develop resilience by 'pulling themselves up by the bootstraps' when faced with life's challenges. Resilient adaptation to adversity comes about as a result of characteristics of an individual interacting with resources in the environment, such as caring adults, good schools, safe neighbors, good friends, and other 'protective factors.'"--

Eight recommendations

1. Communicate the good news of prevention, including the economic and social benefits of investing in prevention.
2. Provide families, other caregivers, community leaders, and local educators with the latest knowledge for strengthening parenting and building child resilience.
3. Build on existing programs to maximize available knowledge and resources.
4. Encourage development of the state and local infrastructure necessary to implement and sustain evidence-based practices.
5. Encourage a coordinated assessment and accountability system for promotion, prevention, and treatment in children's mental health.
6. Examine more systematic strategies to increase and coordinate funding for prevention efforts across federal and state agencies.
7. Build a workforce capable of implementing age- and culturally appropriate evidence-based practices effectively.
8. Include families in a decision-making role from the outset.

CMHS Study at American Psychiatric Foundation

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