In Brief

Children's mental health care costly for families

When a child develops any illness, the family often suffers financially as well as emotionally. A study from Yale Medical School indicates that caring for a child with a mental health problem creates more of an economic burden for many families than caring for a child with some other type of medical problem.

The researchers analyzed data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics from 2000 to 2002. They determined whether the parents had private or public insurance, and they measured the impact of a child's condition on out-of-pocket medical expenses and other aspects of family finances.