Starting At the Beginning - Chapter 12: Child and adolescent mental health needs, services, and gap in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands

This chapter highlights themes related to child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) care in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Islands world regions. The chapter focuses on issues that are especially important in addressing child and adolescent psychiatric care needs in places that include large populations that reflect a blending of urban and rural, modern and traditional, and foreign and indigenous influences. We provide a narrative review of prevalence studies conducted in the regions targeted in this chapter, emphasize the magnitude of the CAMH workforce challenges, describe the importance of considering and addressing the acculturative and socioeconomic challenges that lead to CAMH disparities, and provide solutions and recommendations for the future.