June 12, 2000

Beverly Malone, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 716G
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Dr. Malone:

I am writing on behalf of the 159,000 members and affiliates of the American Psychological Association (APA) to commend your efforts and those of the Surgeon General in coordinating the upcoming national conference on Children’s Mental Health to be held in September. This conference will help to shed light on the critical issues involved in the identification and treatment of children with mental disorders and will no doubt lead to improvements in service delivery.

Given your lead involvement with the conference, I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with a copy of testimony on children and Ritalin, which APA recently submitted for the May 16^th hearing record of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. The statement expresses concern about the recent increase in the use of psychotropic medication with young children, while noting the importance of an understanding of early childhood development, the rendering of proper diagnoses by qualified professionals, and the effectiveness of psychological interventions. Also enclosed is a copy of my recent correspondence to the First Lady regarding the scope of the upcoming conference and critical issues to be addressed. The attachment offers a list of 11 psychologist experts in the field of child mental health and includes contact information for them and for the presidents of seven relevant APA divisions (including Developmental and Child-Clinical Psychology).

With respect to the scope of the conference, APA supports the broad focus on child mental disorders, beyond attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as reflected by the questions posed in recent correspondence and on your Web site. It is vital that a balanced investigation be undertaken of the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological interventions with young children. The increasing reliance on the latter is particularly problematic given the lack of follow-up data regarding possible short- and long-term adverse effects of psychotropic medication with children under six years of age. We also hope to see concerted attention directed to prevention and mental health promotion efforts, for which research is sorely lacking.

In light of our members’ impressive research and clinical experience with young children in school, primary care, and other clinical settings, APA, and the field of psychology, have much to contribute to a close examination of these issues, as will be achieved by the upcoming conference. Accordingly, we welcome the opportunity to work with you and your office in its development. Paula Trubisky of our Science Policy staff is coordinating our association efforts for the upcoming conference and can be reached at (202) 336-5585.

Sincerely,

L. Michael Honaker, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer

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