Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Youth in the United States

Abstract

In the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, a public dialogue emerged about the accessibility of mental health (MH) care in the United States.Policy makers have called for a more critical examination of the MH treatment system, and advocates are rallying around federal legislation that would strengthen community-based MH services --especially for children and adolescents. 1Although the implementation of recent federal policies (i.e., Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Affordable Care Act) will expand insurance coverage for MH disorders among many U.S. children, these expansions will not improve access if communities lack a sufficient infrastructure to serve those in need of care.