Young adult mental illness costs $247B

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. government should make preventing mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in young people a priority, two non-profit groups say.

A report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine says mental disorders -- including depression, anxiety, conduct disorder and substance abuse -- are about as common as fractured limbs in children and adolescents. Collectively, they take a tremendous toll on the well-being of young people and their families, costing the United States an estimated $247 billion annually, the report says.

Research has shown that a number of programs are effective at preventing these problems, the report says.

The White House should create an entity that can coordinate agency initiatives in this area, set public goals for prevention, and provide needed research and funding to achieve them, says the committee that wrote the report.

"There is a substantial gap between what is known about preventing mental, emotional and behavioral disorders and what is actually being done," Kenneth E. Warner of the University of Michigan School of Public Health says in a statement.

"It is no longer accurate to argue that these disorders can never be prevented," Warner says. "Many can. The nation is well-positioned to equip young people with the skills and habits needed to live healthy, happy, and productive lives in caring relationships."