by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on May 9, 2012
David DeMaso, MD
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is May 6 though 12. In honor of the occasion David R. DeMaso, MD, psychiatrist-in-chief at Boston Children’s Hospital, addresses the work of the Children’s Mental Health Campaign in Massachusetts.
What is the state of children’s mental health in the Commonwealth?
The good news is that we’ve come a long way. Massachusetts is a national leader in children’s mental health. Since 2006, when Boston Children’s and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) released a joint report on children’s mental health, children are now more likely to receive timely care, delivered in the right setting, than six years ago. However, the system continues to be fragmented, which creates barriers to care. We still need to take important steps to expand access to effective, high quality and well-coordinated care for all children with mental health needs.
What is the Children’s Mental Health Campaign? What have been the most significant achievements of the Campaign to date?
Launched by Boston Children’s and the MSPCC, the Campaign also includes the following founding partners –Health Care for All, Health Law Advocates and the Parent Advocacy League. Since 2006 it has grown into a diverse coalition of more than 140 organizations with expertise in mental health, healthcare, law, child welfare, family advocacy and policy—all working together to advocate for systemic change of the children’s health care system.
Through the Campaign’s efforts, the landscape for children’s mental health in the Commonwealth has changed significantly. Three landmark laws have been enacted: the Children’s Mental Health Omnibus law of 2008, the Mental Health Parity reform law of 2008 and the Autism law of 2010.
These laws have improved access to care, spurned early identification of children with mental health needs, highlighted the importance of increasing schools’ capacity to address the mental health needs of students, expanded insurance coverage for children in need of mental healthcare services and reduced by more than 60 percent the number of kids “stuck” in inappropriate care settings. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on May 5, 2010
David DeMaso, MD
This week marks Children’s Mental Health Week and here in Massachusetts we’ve made great strides in ensuring that children and their families have access to high quality mental health care. The passage of 2008’s landmark Act Relative to Children’s Mental Health was a significant step forward in addressing the unmet needs of an estimated 100,000 children who do not receive the mental health care they need. There’s still a lot of work to do, including improving the coordination of care between mental health professionals and families, teachers, pediatric providers and other adults who regularly interact with at-risk children. Full story »
by Claire McCarthy on February 23, 2010
We’ve all heard the stories in the news about Rebecca Riley, the 4-year-old who died in 2006 of an overdose of psychiatric medication. She made her first trip to a psychiatrist when she was two, because she was active and had trouble sleeping. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was only three–her ten-year-old brother and four-year-old sister had already been diagnosed with the same—and put on three different medications. By the time she died, she was taking more than ten pills a day. She got sick, and her mother, who was recently convicted in her death, gave her extra pills to make her sleep. Rebecca never woke up. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 14, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
A new study suggests a change in the way we prescribe eyeglasses to children. Another study suggests more youth than ever are dealing with mental health issues. Judy Palfrey, MD, FAAP talks about the First Lady’s new anti-obesity initiative. A pill may just be the answer for individuals with fragile X syndrome. Find out all of the information you need to know about Massachusetts’s new tooth brushing law. A Children’s researcher discovers that people with anorexia have high levels of fat in their bone marrow. Massachusetts restaurants are leading the way in making dining out safer for those with food allergies. Our Mediatrician explores whether vampire fiction can contribute to anxiety. Children’s clinicians reflect on their time in Haiti.
by Kristin Cantu on February 8, 2010
That’s what a recent study is claiming. This study found that five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era.
According to Children’s psychiatrist, Stuart Goldman, MD, the interpretation of these findings all depend on how you slice it. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 6, 2010
