Redressing the Emperor: Improving Our Children's Public Mental Health System (Contemporary Psychology (Praeger))

Lyons presents a fresh and thought-provoking understanding of the children's public mental health system and the need to spur change so help it "evolve" into a far better system. Reaching back past the early 19th century case of the Wild Boy of Aveyron, which demonstrated the potentially therapeutic effects of environment, Lyons highlights the history of child mental health systems, including 19th century roots of the U.S. system. He shows us why modern leaders and Presidents have issued calls for improvements - or "evolution" - of the system here. Barriers have, however, slowed or stopped the evolution. Those barrers could be removed, Lyons explains, with community development and better clinical outcomes management.

An engaging treatise on the state of our children's mental health system, explaining why needed improvements are non-existent or inconsistent, and describing two strategies to fuel evolution of the system for better service to our youngsters.

Library Journal

Children's mental health programs have been heavily influenced by the entrepreneurial spirit of the pharmaceutical industry. Yet their main problems are more systemic, according to Lyons (psychiatry & community medicine, Feinberg Sch. of Medicine, Northwestern Univ.) in this timely and progressive book. He begins with a brief but inclusive history of public mental health for children and provides an insider's view of its deficiencies. However, his central contribution lies in his ideas on improving the system. The author's two-step approach urges greater investment in employment, housing, child care, and related sectors to prevent mental illness. The more innovative aspect of his vision calls for greater rationality and accountability in service delivery. Toward this goal, Lyons presents the "Total Clinical Outcomes Management" strategy that uses research methodology to guide clinical decision making and program management. Though probably too technical for the uninitiated, this practical and well-researched analysis is highly recommended for mental health policy collections and large public libraries.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Lyons provides a fresh and thought-provoking understanding of the children's public mental health system, as well as the need to foster its evolution and improvement. He presents the history of child mental health systems, including the U.S. system's roots and the early 19th-century case of the Wild Boy of Aveyron, which demonstrated the potentially therapeutic effects of environment. He shows us why modern leaders and presidents have issued calls for improvements to the U.S. child mental health system, and what barriers have slowed or even halted this evolution. Such barriers, Lyons explains, can be removed with community development and better clinical outcomes management. In addition to providing information for parents, family members, and advocates for improving the lives of children needing mental health care, this work will also interest clinicians, policy makers and students in social work, clinical psychiatry, public health and public policy. Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 CHAPTER 1 The History of Children‘s Public Mental Health Services......Page 16 CHAPTER 2 Problems with the Current System: Tensions and Syndromes......Page 44 CHAPTER 3 Developing the Vision: Finding the Balance......Page 86 CHAPTER 4 Building Healthy Communities......Page 116 CHAPTER 5 The Measurement and Management of Outcomes in a Total Clinical Outcomes Management Approach......Page 142 CHAPTER 6 The Role of Existing Programs and Services in an Evolving System......Page 194 CHAPTER 7 Creating Solutions across the System of Care......Page 214 Appendix: Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths......Page 232 Bibliography......Page 260 F......Page 274 S......Page 275 W......Page 276 About the Series Editor and Advisory Board......Page 278 "In addition to informing parents, family members, and advocates aiming to improve the lives of children who need mental health care, this work will also interest clinicians, policy makers, and students in social work, clinical psychiatry, public health, and public policy."--BOOK JACKET. The modern history of efforts to address the needs of children can be dated to the Renaissance and the beginnings of the industrial revolution.