American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is a non-profit professional medical organization whose mission is the promotion of mentally healthy children, adolescents, and families through research, training, advocacy, prevention, collaborative diagnosis and treatment, peer support, and collaboration. Established in 1953, the AACAP is a membership organization that currently consists of approximately 6,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other interested physicians who are trained to promote the healthy development of and to evaluate, diagnose, and treat children and adolescents affected by disorders of feeling, thinking, and behavior. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are qualified to integrate knowledge about human behavior and development from biological, psychological, familial, social, and cultural perspectives with scientific, humanistic, and collaborative approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and the promotion of mental health. The AACAP is committed to establishing and supporting the highest ethical and professional standards of clinical practice; advocating for the mental health and public health needs of children, adolescents, and families; promoting research, scholarship, training, and continued expansion of the scientific base of its profession; and establishing liaisons with other physicians and health care providers and collaborating with others who share common goals. To support and advance child and adolescent psychiatry and those whom the Academy serves, the AACAP provides national public information through distribution of “Facts for Families,” a series of reports in understandable terminology on issues that affect children, adolescents, and their families; regular updates on research findings; and recognized medical professionals as spokespersons. The Academy also serves as a government liaison at both the state and national levels to respond to national concerns over health care and socioeconomic issues affecting children; offers expert testimony on issues affecting children in an effort to improve and expand psychiatric services to children; provides continuing medication education; establishes practice guidelines and systems of care documents to advance the quality of care; and serves as an interface with managed care organizations to establish appropriate coverage for children and adolescents. In addition, the AACAP collaborates with other professional medical associations; promotes and supports research and training opportunities; continually reviews and develops training curricula for child and adolescent psychiatry training programs; and provides medical student fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry. The Academy’s educational information for parents and other caregivers includes the “Facts for Families” series, “Questions and Answers About Adolescent Psychiatry,” a “Glossary of Symptoms and Mental Illnesses Affecting Teenagers,” updates on public health issues, and a publications catalog. Such materials may be located on the AACAP’s web site on the Internet.