On January 3, 2001, Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General, released a National Action Agenda for Children's Mental Health to address America's "public crisis in mental health for children and adolescents."

The Agenda outlines eight goals, along with strategies to address the service needs of children and adolescents with mental health problems, as well as their families. Goals include: "promoting public awareness of children's mental health issues, reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and improving the assessment and recognition of mental health needs in children."

Currently, in the U.S., one in 10 children and adolescents suffers from mental health problems severe enough to cause some degree of impairment. And yet, fewer than one in five of these children will receive the treatment he or she requires. The cost of untreated mental health problems, both at the human level as well as the economic, is far greater than the cost of providing treatment during the formative years.

The full press release from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services may be found at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/cmh/pressreleasechildren.htm.