APA has endorsed the Consensus Statement on Insurance Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Children and Adolescents, which was first developed at a coalition meeting organized by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) last July.

The consensus statement addresses the access, coordination, and monitoring of mental health and substance abuse services for children and adolescents. This population needs more of these services at a time when availability is either less or more difficult to obtain, whether provided in the public sector or privately, according to a paper by APA’s Division of Government Relations, "Issues Affecting Mental Health Coverage for Children."

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has also endorsed this statement.

David Fassler, M.D., and Alan Axelson, M.D., represented APA and AACAP, respectively, at the meeting. They were instrumental in seeing that the consensus statement called for parity of coverage for mental health services and increased use of evidence-based care in mental health and substance abuse treatments for children and adolescents.

"The process of developing the consensus statement showed that furthering our collaborative efforts with the larger coalition gives psychiatry a larger voice in championing parity," said Fassler. "At the same time, however, this consensus statement is a compromise, and it is not meant to be seen as APA’s comprehensive or only statement on this issue."

In addition to AAP, APA, and AACAP, participants included the Academy for Eating Disorders, the American Psychological Association, Family Voices, the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, and the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

The recommendations in the consensus statement will be used by the contributing groups to guide both federal and state legislative efforts relating to the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services.