What Can Be Done About the Children's Mental Health Crisis?

Fourteen million American children have a mental health disorder, but most insurance plans don't adequately cover mental health, and policy makers have different ideas on how to best address this problem. We spoke to Parents advisor Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, child psychiatrist and director of the New York University Child Study Center, about what he thinks is needed -- and why.

By Rebecca Felsenthal

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How can we improve mental health care for children in this country?

A. We need to start by recognizing that mental health is as important as physical health. Many parents think we're overmedicating kids and over-psychologizing their problems. But the majority of children with mental illness aren't getting any help -- and left untreated, their disorders only get worse.

Next: Are there specific policy changes we need?

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