Around the world, a vast number of children and adolescents suffer from mental and neurological disorders and only a small proportion of them receive adequate care. This is so in both developing and developed countries. The need to raise awareness about this problem and provide specific advice regarding their prevention and treatment was identified as a priority for the World Psychiatric Association by Professor Ahmed Okasha during his Presidency of the Association and resulted in the creation of his Presidential Programme on Child Mental Health. This book presents some of the fruits of this programme and constitutes a global call to action for mental health workers and policy makers. The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect brings together information on the burden of mental disorders in childhood and adolescence with methods of raising public awareness of these problems. The book also describes therapeutic and preventive interventions that could diminish them. It then presents the results of field studies in Brazil, Egypt and Russia documenting the effectiveness of interventions to prevent school dropout in those three very different countries. With its emphasis on practical guidance for the development of interventions to prevent or treat child and adolescent mental health, The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area of global neglect provides much-needed information of direct interest to health professionals and the many others involved in the provision of health care to children and adolescents in both the developing and the developed countries.

Around the world, a vast number of children and adolescents sufferfrom mental and neurological disorders and only a small proportionof them receive adequate care. This is so in both developing anddeveloped countries. The need to raise awareness about this problemand provide specific advice regarding their prevention andtreatment was identified as a priority for the World PsychiatricAssociation by Professor Ahmed Okasha during his Presidency of theAssociation and resulted in the creation of his PresidentialProgramme on Child Mental Health. This book presents some of thefruits of this programme and constitutes a global call to actionfor mental health workers and policy makers.The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An area ofglobal neglect brings together information on the burden ofmental disorders in childhood and adolescence with methods ofraising public awareness of these problems. The book alsodescribes therapeutic and preventive interventions that coulddiminish them. It then presents the results of field studies inBrazil, Egypt and Russia documenting the effectiveness ofinterventions to prevent school dropout in those three verydifferent countries.With its emphasis on practical guidance for the development ofinterventions to prevent or treat child and adolescent mentalhealth, The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Anarea of global neglect provides much-needed information ofdirect interest to health professionals and the many othersinvolved in the provision of health care to children andadolescents in both the developing and the developed countries.

List of ContributorsAdvisory BoardPrefaceAcknowledgements1 A Global Programme for Child and Adolescent Mental Health:A Challenge in the New Millennium (Myron Belfer, HelmutRemschmidt, Barry Nurcombe, Ahmed Okasha, and NormanSartorius).2 Public Awareness of Child and Adolescent Mental Health: AReview of the Literature (Sam Tyano and AnatFleischman).3 The Epidemiology and Burden of Child and Adolescent MentalDisorder (Myron Belfer and Barry Nurcombe).4 Disseminating Child and Adolescent Mental Health TreatmentMethods: An International Feasibility Study (Jose J.Baumeister, John Fayyad, Richard Harrington (deceased), Jack (S.F.)Hung, Kimberly Hoagwood, Peter Jensen, Kelly Kelleher, LauraMurray, Cheryl So; and site directors Alan Apter and Orit Krispin(Tel Aviv, Israel), John Fayyad, MD (Lebanon), Luis Rhode and PauloKnapp (Porto Alegre, Brazil), and Amira Seif El Din (AlexandriaEgypt)).5 Prevention of Mental Health Disorders in Children andAdolescents5.1 The Principles of Prevention in Child andAdolescent Mental Health (Barry Nurcombe).5.2 Evidence-based Primary Prevention Programs for thePromotion of Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: ASystematic Worldwide Review (Martine F. Flament, HienNguyen, Howard Schachter, Claudia Furino, Cathy Cuzner, DanutaWasserman, Norman Sartorius, and Helmut Remschmidt).5.3 Violence and Trauma: Evidence-based Assessment andIntervention in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review(Ernesto Caffo and Carlotta Belaise).5.4 School Dropout: A Systematic Worldwide ReviewConcerning Risk Factors and Preventive Interventions (AnaSoledade Graeff-Martins, Tatyana Dmitrieva, Amira Seif El DinErnesto Caffo, Martine F. Flament, Barry Nurcombe, Per-AndersRydelius, Helmut Remschmidt, and Luis Augusto Rhode).5.5 School Violence: Epidemiology, Backgroundand Prevention (Helmut Remschmidt).6 Preventive Interventions in School Dropout: Three FieldStudies6.1 A Comprehensive Intervention for the Prevention of SchoolDropout in Brazil (Ana Soledade Graeff-Martins, SylviaOswald, Júlia Obst Comassetto, Christian Kieling, Renata RochaGonçalves, and Luis Augusto Rhode).6.2A Comprehensive Program for the Prevention ofDropout in an Egyptian Public School (Amira Seif El Din, M.Azzer, and Doa Habib).6.3 A Comprehensive Intervention to Prevent SchoolDropout andReduce School Absenteeism in a Public School in a RussianIndustrial City (V. Andreyuk, A. Zanozin, and TatjanaDmitrieva).Index.