While we need to understand more about the use of psychotropic medications, we also need to understand more about childhood disorders within the context of the family and peers, school, home, and community. This will help us see how children with different sets of symptoms and different needs respond to different types of interventions. The development of early preventive interventions for young children at risk is another area where more research is greatly needed. Finally, further research is needed to help us understand more about how effective interventions may be developed and implemented within various health care settings. NIMH needs additional support to continue to expand research in understanding, treating and preventing children s mental disorders, and to build a cadre of trained scientists and clinical trials networks to do this crucial research.
Many gaps remain in our response to behavioral and emotional disorders in children.
It is increasingly clear that the failure to recognize and treat emotional and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents can have devastating results. We know that mental health problems in childhood are related to substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, suicide, and further problems in adulthood. Developing our knowledge base about childhood disorders such as ADHD through investment in research is an investment in the future. Helping children access appropriate, comprehensive mental health services for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and other disorders is an investment in the life of every child and family who needs help. We can afford to do no less.