Excerpt from: Disability Blog (click for full article)
May is recognized as both National Foster Care Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. What most people do not realize is the overlap that often occurs with these populations.
In the United States, there are more than 400,000 children and teens in foster care. Research reveals that children and teens in the foster care system have disproportionately high rates of psychiatric disability.
One study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that nearly half (47.9 percent) of youth in foster care were found to have clinically significant emotional or behavioral problems. Likewise, researchers at the Casey Family Programs estimate that between one-half and three-fourths of children entering foster care exhibit behavioral or social competency problems that warrant mental health services.
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