Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Preface
May 2001
Dear Dr. Hyman:
On behalf of my council colleagues, Drs. Mary Durham and Roy Wilson, it is my pleasure to present to the National
Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) the report of the NAMHC Workgroup on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Intervention Development and Deployment. Our workgroup has been inspired by the historic amount of public
attention on children’s mental health. This intense interest is apparent in the number of activities that have been
undertaken to illuminate progress and identify problems in this area.
All these efforts, ranging from White House conferences and Surgeon General reports to private foundation
publications, have arrived at the same conclusion: Findings from research in neurobiology, genetics, behavioral
science, and social science have led to an increased understanding of the complex interactions among genetic and
socioenvironmental factors and their contribution to child and adolescent mental disorders. Further, a promising
number of scientifically proven preventive interventions and treatments are now available. Yet, children, adolescents,
and their families continue to suffer enormous burdens associated with mental illness—burdens that are often
intergenerational. The central problem is that these scientifically proven interventions are not routinely available to
the children and their families who need them. The interventions often fail to take into account the diverse
sociocultural context and settings in which they will be implemented and are consequently not sustainable. At the
same time, the majority of treatments and services children and adolescents receive in the community have either not
been evaluated to determine their effectiveness or are simply ineffective. The gap between research and practice
continues to widen; part of closing the gap entails investigating the best methods for deploying
evidenced-based approaches in real-world settings.
Our ability to create a promising future for the country depends, in part, on our ability to ensure that all
children have the opportunity to meet their full potential and live healthy, productive lives. Meeting this
challenge will require the work of many people. The research community must partner with families,
providers, policymakers, and Federal agencies providing children’s services, as well as other
stakeholders, to create a knowledge base on interventions and services that is usable, disseminated, and
sustained in the diverse communities where children and their families live. Equally important to this
effort is the need to develop the capacity of the field. A new generation of truly interdisciplinary
researchers must be trained to strengthen the science base on child and adolescent mental health
research and bridge the gaps within and across research, practice, and policy.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide this report. Together with key stakeholders, and with your help,
we hope to chart a new course for the future of child and adolescent mental health research.
Sincerely,
Mary Jane England, M.D., Chair, NAMHC Workgroup on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Intervention
Development and Deployment
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