According to the American Psychiatric Association, as many as one in ten children between the ages of six and 12Â experience the âpersistent feelings of sadnessâ associated with depression. According to the CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration, more than one in ten children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Still others experience anxiety. Some kids are bipolar. The CDC believes an estimated 1 in 68 fall under autism spectrum disorder. Really, many mental health conditions can — and often do — manifest themselves in childhood.
Today we learn about mental health services available for children in Greater Houston, how mental health conditions are diagnosed and treated here, and the challenges mental illness can create for kids in school. We meet a Houston mom whose son was diagnosed with Aspergerâs. And we welcome your questions for the heads of a pediatric bipolar unit at a Houston area hospital, and a neurological institute and school based here in Greater Houston.
