VCU EXPERT ADVISORY: Mental Health Awareness Week Oct. 3-9

By Sathya Achia Abraham

KEYWORDS: child mental health, ADHD, depression, bi-polar disorder, accessibility and fragmentation of care

Aradhana Bela Sood, M.D., professor and chair of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and a nationally recognized expert in children and adolescents with mental health problems, is available for comment on the stigma associated with mental health disorders and the need for early intervention for children.

According to Sood, mental health is a topic rarely discussed between young people and adults. In the United States, approximately 15 million children suffer from mental illness, and only 20 percent receive treatment. Children facing such issues need attention immediately – and there is often a delay in identifying a child in crisis and then getting them the necessary care or intervention. Other challenges include a limited capacity to deliver care and a lack of professionals trained in children's mental health. Sood says that the economic impact of ill children transitioning into adulthood and the lack of recognition of illness is enormous.

Sood, medical director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at VCU, is frequently quoted by national media for her views on the use of medication in such disorders. Her areas of expertise include attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, depression and bi-polar disorder in children and adolescents.

Sood served on the panel reviewing the Virginia Tech shootings as a mental health expert. She is a dedicated teacher and lecturer and has taught a wide range of courses in pediatric psychopharmacology. Her current research examines the psychopharmacology of mood disorders in children and adolescents.

News Directors: Broadcast access to VCU experts can be arranged through the university’s VideoLink ReadyCam studio. ReadyCam transmits video and audio via fiber optics through a system that is routed to your newsroom. To schedule a live or taped interview, contact the VCU Office of Communications and Public Relations, 804-828-1231.