35% Of Children Receiving Outpatient Mental Health Care Are Treated Only By Primary Care Physicians

About one-third of children in the United States who are receiving outpatient care for a mental health problem are treated only by their primary care professional (PCP). About 26% receive outpatient mental health treatment only from a psychiatrist; 15.2% receive treatment only from psychologists or social workers; and 23.8% receive outpatient mental health care from multiple health care professionals, PCPs, and mental health professionals.

These findings were reported in “Outpatient Visits and Medication Prescribing for US Children With Mental Health Conditions” by L. Elizabeth Anderson, BA; Minghua L. Chen, M.D., MPH;, James M. Perrin, M.D . . .