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| The children of the world today are exposed to - and often victims of - violence. They are displaced from their homes, exploited, or faced with ever-increasing pressure of academic performance. Because the future is uncertain for so many, and because children represent the future of our society, it is of the utmost importance to focus attention on the health of the children of the world.
Half of the world's population are children and adolescents. Nearly 20% of them suffer from some kind of neuropsychiatric disorder. Mental retardation adds further to the heavy burden that these disorders cause to the sufferers, their families and their communities. It is evident that only a small proportion of children needing services receive them. All-too-often, these are based on the best evidence for treatment effectiveness. It is even rarer to see communities, societies or countries adopt preventative mental health programmes targeting children and adolescents. The overall situation is made worse by the lack of awareness of the magnitude and severity of the problems among political and health decision-makers, by health professionals and by the general public.
The need for information among all sectors of society is urgent.
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Page updated by: The Swedish National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health Box 230, SE-171 77 Stockholm, SWEDEN - Suicid.Forskning@ipm.ki.se Illustrations © 2004 International Child Art Foundation www.icaf.org |