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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		New York City University's Child Study Center, New York City , New York
DATE:		November 12, 1998

If there is one human trait we all share, it's our love for children and desire to raise them healthy and happy. God knows it's not easy. As a philosopher said, children are natural mimics -- they act like us in spite of every attempt to teach them good manners. But being a parent today is especially tough, because parents are drowning in a sea of advice on the right way to raise children. Just look in the bookstore under parenting. You've got, "10 Most Common Mistakes Parents Make." "101 Ways To Be A Special Dad." "365 Ways to Build Your Child's Self-Esteem." "1001 Things To Do With Your Kids." And my personal favorite: "101 Ways To Get Your Adult Children To Move Out."

With all this advice, the question is, what's the answer? The latest theory about child-rearing is like Mark Twain's description of the weather in New England: Wait a minute -- it'll change. Just think of all the conventional wisdom we've accepted and rejected. Freud was right. Freud was wrong. Spock was right. Spock was wrong. Spock was right after all. Children are durable. Children are delicate. It's nature. It's nurture. It's nature and nurture. And now there's the new debate about the influence of peers versus parents, suggesting that Mom and Dad are nothing more than befuddled bystanders. The changing winds of child psychology are enough to drive parents batty. They want to do everything right, but they're afraid of doing everything wrong.

There's nothing wrong with the steady progress of parenting advice. Fifty years ago, most parents didn't think about child psychology, let alone developmental research. Conventional wisdom didn't go much beyond, "spare the rod and spoil the child" -- another theory I'm glad we've debunked. Before the National Institutes of Health began conducting research into the emotional and behavior disturbances of young people, we didn't think children could suffer from depression. Now we know they can.

We also know when it comes to health issues as complex as child psychology, theories not anchored in the facts are vulnerable to prevailing winds. And to get the facts, we need solid research. Research confirms what our hearts tell us -- that children need adult love and supervision. As one 15-year-old said, "I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me." Research has also reveals what our eyes are missing -- that we're not doing enough to recognize mental health problems in children. In five studies funded by our National Institute of Mental Health, fewer than 20 percent of children at risk for mental disorders were spotted by their primary care providers as needing help. Research also tells us that mental health problems in children, left untreated, can destroy their chances to succeed in school, in society, in life. And child abuse can inflict not only an emotional wound that doesn't heal -- but also permanent brain damage. Research also tells us that more than one in 10 young people may be affected by mental disorders that involve moderate to severe impairment.

Fortunately, research has also debunked the belief that depression in children is a stage they'll grow out of. Or that some children are just plain "bad." We know it's not their problem. It's our problem when children are at risk. It's our problem when violence is the leading cause of death for teens and young adults. And their death rate from homicide doubled between 1970 and 1997. It's our problem when suicide kills young people. When one out of five high school students thought seriously about suicide. When one in 13 young people say they've tried it. And when, every day, several actually do it. And it's our problem when so many childhood problems stem from mental health problems. OCD -- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. ADHD -- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Or even PTSD -- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Research tells us these problems are not inevitable. They can be identified, prevented and treated.

Solid research not only helps to anchor our theories about health -- both mental and physical -- it also points the way to real solutions. That's why, in his State of the Union Address last January, President Clinton called for an historic national investment in scientific research. And in the federal budget he just signed, the National Institutes of Health will receive the largest single dollar increase in its history -- $2 billion a 15 percent increase. These funds will help to stimulate breakthrough research into child development and mental health. For starters, we're teaming up with Head Start in a research program to improve our ability to identify early mental health needs, and how to meet them. We're teaming up with the Casey Family Program to develop a project called Starting Early Starting Smart, which looks at bringing mental health services to child care and child health care settings. We just received $40 million to improve mental health services in schools to help children with emotional and behavioral disorders. We're also making sure that children are no longer left out of clinical research for new medical treatments. And we've just sponsored 15 centers for research into pediatric pharmacology, seven of which will focus on medications for children with mental health problems.

But as Dr. Koplewicz reminds us, childhood mental health is still the Rodney Dangerfield of medicine -- it doesn't get enough respect. That's why NIH is hosting a special "consensus development" conference next week that will spread the word on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. And that's why, as we cut this ribbon, I want to congratulate New York University and all its supporters for devoting the funds, faculty and other resources to create this Child Study Center.

As Dr. Koplewicz explained, this Center will use creative ways to help us answer some of the most difficult questions about healthy child development. Our nation's future depends on the work you do. Because our future is in the hands of an 8-year-old boy who needs our help because he can't sit still in class, can't pay attention and can't read. And our future is in the hands of a 15-year-old girl who needs our help because she's depressed and doesn't know if life is worth living.

Our future is in our children's hands. Their future is in our hands. Hands that must join together and build a circle of concern and care around every child. It takes parents, doctors, public health experts, researchers, corporate, community and religious leaders, teachers and schools, law enforcement and government at all levels. Our children's future is in all of our hands. And thanks to the Child Study Center, their mental health will be in far better hands. Thank you.