Provision of mental healthcare for children and adolescents: a worldwide view

Purpose of review There has been increased attention towards the burden imposed by mental disorders on children and adolescents. The present overview explores the current state of child and adolescent mental healthcare provision around the globe. Recent findings Current research indicates a concerning gap in the provision of care for the child and adolescent population. The disparities between need, demand and access to youth mental healthcare are likely to be even greater in low-and middle-income countries (LAMIC), where the proportion of children and adolescents in the population is higher. The scarcity of available resources for youth mental healthcare, especially in LAMIC, represents a major obstacle to decreasing the impact of mental disorders across the lifespan. Summary Our review highlights the discrepancy between demands and availability of mental healthcare for youth populations throughout the world. We describe some of the potential contributors to the current state of youth mental healthcare, such as problematic access to services, implementation deficiencies and inadequacy of policies. Recent innovative strategies to reduce these barriers are also presented.