Forty-two percent of pediatricians said they believed mental health problems were fairly common among children and adolescents. The survey also found that pediatricians themselves could not agree on how widespread children's mental health problems were. The survey also revealed doctor-parent communication difficulties. More than half of the pediatricians said they felt that discussing a child's mental health would be difficult for a parent, but over three-fourths of parents said it would not be difficult. Doctors may have some notions that depression is a family problem and may be reluctant to inquire.
Researchers say the findings indicate a significant gap between science and practice.
We are not using the best treatments even when we do identify the problems. Other pediatricians agree that it is important to understand the significance of the findings. These problems must be addressed if we are to intervene early in the lives of children with mental disorders. The Center is an organization recently created by the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.