Many Abused Kids Don't Get Mental Health Services

Abused and neglected children who are removed from their homes or otherwise become involved in the child welfare system have a high rate of emotional and behavioral problems. Yet, many of these children do not receive needed mental health services, new study findings show. Young children and those who remained in their homes while authorities investigated potential maltreatment -- as many children usually do -- were found to be less likely to receive mental health services than older children and those placed in group or foster care. "Younger children and those remaining in their homes could benefit from increased specialty mental health services," write study author Dr. Michael S. Hurlburt, from the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Children's Hospital, San Diego, and his colleagues. "They have disproportionately low rates of service use, despite high levels of need." Increased coordination between child welfare systems and mental health agencies, however, may help ensure that mental health services are targeted to children who need it most, Hurlburt and his team report in this month's Archives of General Psychiatry. "When child welfare systems and mental health service systems have more and stronger formal ties with one another, specialty mental health services may be more directly targeted to those children with greatest need," Hurlburt told Reuters Health. He added that this may, potentially, increase "the equitability of service delivery to children from different racial/ethnic backgrounds." [more]