About Child and Youth Mental Health
The Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health defines Children's Mental Health as "the achievement of expected developmental cognitive, social, and emotional milestones and by effective coping skills. Mentally healthy children and adolescents enjoy a positive quality of life; function well at home, in school, and in their communities; and are free of disabling symptoms of psychopathology" (USDHHS, 1999, p. 123). As parents seek to maintain their children's physical health through immunizations, dental hygiene, and physical checkups, it is equally important to ensure the mental health of children and adolescents is developed appropriately.
In the more narrow sense, there are serious emotional disturbances in children that interfere with the way they think, feel, or act. These disturbances may develop into more serious behaviors, issues, and/or disorders. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) defines mental illness as disorders of the brain that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others.
