Increasing the dialogue among stakeholders in New Jersey’s special education system

Snap Shot: Children & Mental Health

Sep 4, 2016 | Snapshot

  1. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have mental disorders or problems. (WHO)
  2. Neuropsychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of worldwide disability in young people. (WHO)
  3. Approximately 50% of students aged 14 and older with mental illness drop out of high school — the highest dropout rate of any disability group. (U.S.DOE)
  4. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth aged 15-24; more youth and young adults die from suicide than from all natural causes combined. (CDC)
  5. 70% of youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have mental illness, with at least 20% experiencing severe symptoms. At the same time, juvenile facilities fail to adequately address the mental health needs of youth in their custody. (National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice)
  6. Given the early onset of emotional and behavioral disorders, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that their subsequent indirect and direct costs total $247 billion annually.
  7. Most low- and middle-income countries have only one child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people. (WHO)
  8. One in 10 young people experienced a period of major depression.
  9. Less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need.
  10. Only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are ten times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. (HHS)