CDC Releases First Comprehensive Report on Children's Mental Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released its report, "Mental Health Surveillance Among Children in the United States - 2005-2011." The report appears as a supplement to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

This is the first CDC report that tracks the number of children between the ages of 3 and 17 in the United States diagnosed with specific mental disorders. It also monitors other indicators of mental health during the studied period.

The report provides baseline data on mental health trends, including specific disorders, within this age group at the onset of this study. Further analysis, identifying emerging trends, can be compared to this data to define the evolving nature of mental health in children and adolescents in the United States. Further research will determine statistical significance and possible causation of results presented during the study period.