Preliminary Results fiom a

According to several well-designed epidemiological studies, approximately 20% of children and adolescents experience signs and symptoms of mental illness at any given time (Costello et a/, 1996). In a more recent investigation of a representative sample of 1420 children in the United States aged between nine and thirteen, Costello, Mustillo, Erkanli, Keeler and Angold (2003) followed these young people for several years and reported that almost 37% of them had experienced at least one diagnosable mental illness (according to criteria established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual [DSM] of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000) by the age of 16. When problems are defined more broadly than a DSM diagnosis, the prevalence and scope of young people with significant difficulties i s even more substantial. For instance, the percentage of young people in schools with learning, behavioral, or emotional difficulties has been reported to be as high as 50% (Center for Mental Health in the Schools, 2003). Unfortunately, most young people in need of services do not receive professional assistance (Burns et a/, 1995). There are myriad reasons for the discrepancy between children and adolescents who need help and those who receive treatment, including accessibility