Did you know that 1 in 5 children have some form of mental health issue with 1 in 10 meeting criteria for a severe emotional/behavioral disorder? Even more, did you know that less than 1/3 of these children will receive specialized treatment? Why, you may ask, are these children not receiving the treatment that they need.

Most of us can say that we understand the daily demands of having children at home, but most of us can not say that we understand the daily demands of having a child who has a mental health diagnosis. When a family first gets a diagnosis for their child, they sometimes feel shame, guilt, and a feeling of loss due to having to see their child in a new light. It can also be overwhelming as parents need to learn about the mental health system, they have to advocate for support in schools, they have to find providers who offer the services their child needs, and so on. How can we make it easier on families to recognize and treat their children living with mental illness?

We know the earlier a child is diagnosed and receives treatment that not only is their outcomes more positive, but it will reduce future costs for services down the road. We need to have programs in place to ensure healthy cognitive/social/emotional health in early childhood so that early intervention can be achieved, helping keep families together.

The Legislative Oversight Committee, with the help of some advocacy from a group of concerned professionals, asked the NC Institute of Medicine (IOM) to take on this issue. The NCIOM Task Force on the Mental Health, Social, and Emotional Needs of Young Children and Their Families has been assigned to look at the needs of young children with mental health problems and their families and work on developing recommendations to ensure that there are systems and services in place to meet those needs.