WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. mental health system has huge
gaps that prevent many children with psychological problems from
receiving effective treatment that could prevent tragic
consequences later in life, experts told U.S. lawmakers on
Thursday. Just over a month after the shooting rampage in
Newtown, Connecticut, mental health experts said psychological
disorders usually emerge before people enter high school but
that only one-quarter of children with problems see trained
professionals and often the care is not enough. "We see the
results of insufficient mental healthcare in school failure and
suicide. How do we do better?" Michael Hogan, head of the
President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, said in
written testimony to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee. "While the gaps in children's mental
healthcare are huge, there is also reason for hope," he added.
"In part, this is because we know more about what works, and
what doesn't." Hogan, a former New York mental health c