Around the world, a vast number of children and adolescents sufferfrom mental and neurological disorders and only a small proportionof them receive adequate care. This is so in both developing anddeveloped countries. The need to raise awareness about this problemand provide specific advice regarding their prevention andtreatment was identified as a priority for the World PsychiatricAssociation by Professor Ahmed Okasha during his Presidency of theAssociation and resulted in the creation of his PresidentialProgramme on Child Mental Health. This book presents some of thefruits of this programme and constitutes a global call to actionfor mental health workers and policy makers.
The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area ofglobal neglect brings together information on the burden ofmental disorders in childhood and adolescence with methods ofraising public awareness of these problems. The book alsodescribes therapeutic and preventive interventions that coulddiminish them. It then presents the results of field studies inBrazil, Egypt and Russia documenting the effectiveness ofinterventions to prevent school dropout in those three verydifferent countries.
With its emphasis on practical guidance for the development ofinterventions to prevent or treat child and adolescent mentalhealth, The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Anarea of global neglect provides much-needed information ofdirect interest to health professionals and the many othersinvolved in the provision of health care to children andadolescents in both the developing and the developed countries.