Perhaps as many as one in five children suffer from a mental-health disorder each year in our nation – and the number is rising, according to a new report which the CDC is calling the first comprehensive look.

“Childhood mental disorders that alter the way children learn, behave and cope with their emotions affect 13 percent to 20 percent of youths under age 18, the CDC said Thursday. They also cost families and society at large an estimated $247 billion a year in treatment, special education, juvenile justice and decreased productivity, it stated.

Although the prevalence, early onset and effect on society make childhood mental problems a major public health issue, only 21 percent of affected children get treatment because of a shortage of pediatric sub-specialists and child and adolescent psychiatrists, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.”

And apparently, fewer med students are opting to enter the field.

Full story here.