Do State Mental Health Plans Address the New Freedom Commission’s Goals for Children’s Mental Health?

• Published in: Clinical child and family psychology review 2009-12, Vol.12 (4), p.295-309
• Main Authors: Gould, Sara R., Roberts, Michael C., Beals, Sarah E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Benchmarking; Benchmarking - organization & administration; Block Grants; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child Health; Child psychology; Children; Children & youth; Family (Sociological Unit); Freedom; Health Needs; Health Policy; Health Services; Health Services Accessibility; Healthcare Disparities - organization & administration; Humans; Leadership; Mental Health; Mental Health Programs; Mental Health Services - organization & administration; Objectives; Organizational Objectives; Physical Health; Psychology; Public policy; Social Sciences; State Health Plans - organization & administration; State Programs; States; United States
• ISSN: 1096-4037; 1573-2827
• DOI: 10.1007/s10567-009-0054-3

The latest initiative to address mental health needs of the nation, including those of children and youth, is the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (NFC). The NFC formulated a benchmark of six goals and related recommendations toward which the U.S. should strive, including the recommendation that each state develop a comprehensive mental health plan. It is not clear, however, whether the states’ developed plans address the goals established by the NFC and to what degree. This project provides a summary of 50 state mental health plans regarding children and youth in the U.S. by examining components that address each of the six NFC goals and is a test of federal leadership on a state issue. Results indicate that state mental health plans addressed the NFC goals to differing degrees with specific attention to children and youth mental health services. Overall, the NFC goal of eliminating disparities in mental health services was addressed most completely, while the NFC goal of understanding that mental health and physical health are associated was addressed least often. The information provided by this analysis represents a first step in gaining a comprehensive picture about public policies for the mental health of children, adolescents, and their families.