PREVALENCE OF PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH - AN AGENDAFOR ADVOCACY BY SCHOOL-PSYCHOLOGY

New funding priorities of the National Institute of Mental Health have sponsored epidemiological studies that describe prevalence of most ch ildhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders with much greater precisi on and reliability. Results of these show that a typical school of 1,0 00 students could be expected to have between 180 and 220 students wit h diagnosable psychiatric disorders. The most frequent of these are an xiety disorders and the behavioral disorders of conduct disorder, oppo sitional defiant disorder, and attention deficit disorder. In secondar y school populations, depression and suicidal behaviors are also preva lent. Implications of these numbers for the practice of school mental health are discussed. The article concludes with an agenda for action at the school, district, and governmental levels that will include sch ool psychologists in the decisions about ways to meet these very signi ficant mental health needs.