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|  | | No Child's Play 无人玩耍 |
 One
in 10 children suffers from mental illness, which often is untreated
and leaves them vulnerable to a future life of problems and delinquency,
the surgeon general says.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 — One in 10 children suffers from mental illnesses
severe enough to impair development,
the surgeon general said in urging changes to fix what he termed
a crisis.
A report released today says too often children who wind up in jail
had mental health problems that went unnoticed or untreated until
too late. Fewer than one in five children get treatment for any
mental health problems, the report adds.
"If children can't learn, can't develop appropriately, then it's
going to interfere with their whole life," said Surgeon General
David Satcher. "Clearly it is a crisis."
Satcher's newest call adds to his report a year ago declaring mental
disorders a major undertreated problem for adults and children.
It comes amid a recent backlash against one prominent
childhood problem, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lawsuits
charge ADHD is overdiagnosed
to push the drug Ritalin to children who merely are rambunctious.
There is some overtreatment, but also "there are many children who
could benefit from medications as well as behavioral treatment,"
Satcher said, identifying ADHD and depression as leading mental
disorders affecting children.According to the report:
Regular pediatricians treat most affected children and report difficulty
referring serious patients to mental health specialists, including
appointment waits of three to four months. Some communities offer
no child mental health services at all.
In one study, some children with emotional disorders didn't get
proper school services until age 10.
Just as for adults, insurance coverage for children's mental health
is spotty. Advocates told of parents who relinquished
custody so their children could receive welfare-funded therapy.
One juvenile detention center study found over two-thirds of detainees
had a psychiatric disorder. Yet the juvenile justice system seldom
screens children for treatable illnesses.
The report urges mental health training for doctors, teachers, welfare
and juvenile justice workers, and better access to care. Satcher
said Medicaid is developing community models for mental health services,
and that the federal justice and education departments will work
with health officials on training.
Also, the National Institute of Mental Health increased research
funding on children's disorders by $33 million this year.
Summary
十分之一的儿童患有精神疾病，并且得不到妥善的治疗，甚至从不为人知晓。伴随着孩子的成长，他们渐渐表现得问题多多，行为不良。因此专家提请家长和专业人士注意这一问题，尽早地发现孩子有可能存在的心理问题并及早治疗。
Words
impair [v] 削弱
prominent [adj] 卓越的，显著的，突出的
ADHD [n] 注意力缺陷多动障碍
rambunctious [adj] 粗暴的，骚乱的，难控制的
relinquish [v] 放弃
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(转自英文锁定) | |
(2001/01/22,13:10) |
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