One in 4 children and adolescents (i.e., 15 million) in the United States have mental or behavioral health problems that interfere with their performance at home or at school, yet only 20 to 25 percent of these children receive any treatment. Significant health disparities also exist in the receipt of mental health services. In Arizona, the psychiatric physician-to-population ratio is less than the national average, with only 134 child psychiatrists practicing in the state in 2004. One-third of the counties (i.e., 5 of 15) in Arizona have no child psychiatrists.
