Trends in Mental Health Care among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

BackgroundIncreasing mental health treatment of young people and broadening conceptualizations of psychopathology have triggered concerns about a disproportionate increase in the treatment of youths with low levels of mental health impairment. MethodsWe analyzed the 1996–1998, 2003–2005, and 2010–2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, which were nationally representative surveys of U.S. households, for trends in outpatient use of mental health services by persons 6 to 17 years of age; 53,622 persons were included in the analysis. Mental health impairment was measured with the use of the Columbia Impairment Scale (range, 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating more severe impairment); we classified youths with scores of 16 or higher as having more severe impairment and those with scores of less than 16 as having less severe impairment. ResultsThe percentage of youths receiving any outpatient mental health service increased from 9.2% in 1996–1998 to 13.3% in 2010–2012 (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence inter...