“As difficult as it is for adults to cope with a mental illness, the obstacles are multiplied when diagnosing and treating children, especially in a large, rural and sparsely populated state like Montana.
An estimated 30,000 adolescents in Montana between the ages of 9 and 17 had a diagnosable mental health condition in 2006, with 16,500 of them experiencing a significant emotional disturbance that year. Yet the state had only 17 physicians who were board certified as child and adolescent psychiatrists, according to a 2008 Legislative Mental Health Study. These psychiatrists were located in seven cities, with none in Montana’s north central or eastern regions.”
Article
Alana Listoe, Helenair.com, 19 July 2009
