Telehealth has been shown to be both acceptable and effective in many areas of healthcare, yet it was not widely adopted prior to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Additionally, previous evaluations of telehealth for autism spectrum condition (ASC) and intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) populations are limited in both number and…

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may experience educational difficulties that warrant an evaluation to determine whether they are eligible to receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As with any disorder, legal disputes about eligibility sometimes arise between parents and school…

This study demonstrates the usefulness of cluster analytic patterns of care in a sample of 979 children receiving federal mental health services. Six patterns were identified. These service-utilization clusters provide a useful and easily understood way to summarize children's quantity of use of various mental health services. (SLD)

Many people who would benefit from mental health services opt not to pursue them or fail to fully participate once they have begun. One of the reasons for this disconnect is stigma; namely, to avoid the label of mental illness and the harm it brings, people decide not to seek or fully participate in care. Stigma yields 2 kinds of harm that may…

Discusses the need to increase the supply of psychotherapeutic services for those people with emotional problems who are mentally retarded or have IQs between 70 and 80. Suggests that clinical psychologists can play an important role in developing the needed services. (Author/GC)

This case report describes the successful treatment of severe self-injurious behavior in a 16-year-old adolescent with Tourette's disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Treatment is described from initial presentation to the emergency department for severe self-inflicted oral lacerations through discharge from the inpatient psychiatric…

Depression is defined as a "whole-body" illness, involving the body, mood, and thoughts. Three of the most prevalent types of depressive disorders are described: major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorders (formerly called manic-depressive illness). Eleven symptoms of depression and 10 symptoms of mania are listed. Causes of depression are…

This background paper on children's mental health indicates that less than one-third of the children who have mental health problems receive treatment. Types of mental health problems are discussed, including intellectual, developmental, behavior, emotional, psychophysiological, and adjustment disorders. Enviromental risk factors of poverty and…

Drawing from a conceptual framework which hypothesizes a temporal sequence for persons who are in psychological distress, this paper focuses on two problems faced by chronically mentally ill (CMI) Hispanics in need of clinical services: (1) barriers in seeking follow-up clinical services upon discharge from a psychiatric hospital; and (2) barriers…

Describes diagnostic program for children and families, designed to overcome problems involving staff shortage and imbalance. Recommends approach pending independent followup evaluation. (CJ)

A chronicle of the developmental thrust of psychiatry into the community mental health movement; its rise and fall in popularity, and the subsequent doubts raised about the power of social environment and mental health experts as manipulators of that environment to serve as unique forces for the betterment of society as a whole. (EH)

Although the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals were developed with no formal involvement on the part of psychologists, they reflect contemporary psychological thought concerning the effective delivery of mental health services and are appropriate for determining community mental health centers' eligibility for…