The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) was founded in 1953. In 2015, the organization had nearly 9,000 members in the fields of child and adolescent psychiatry. In 2013, the AACAP created a 501(c)(6) to allow the association to have a formal, public, and political voice in arenas such as advocacy, policy, and health education concerning child and adolescent behavior health and psychiatry.
As of 2015, a major concern for the AACAP was the critical workforce shortage among child and adolescent psychiatrists. Other work included improving the quality of care for children and adolescents with mental illness, as well as enhancing access to treatment, prevention, and early intervention programs. An overarching goal was to improve the mental health of all children and adolescents through ready access to direct care (as appropriate), as well as local, state, and federal legislative initiatives, trainings, annual events, and professional recruitment programs.
The academy sponsored numerous committees devoted to expanding areas of knowledge for academy members and the public and to disseminating information, including position statements on issues pertaining to child and adolescent mental/behavioral health. The academy's commitment to developing the understanding and treatment of children and adolescents was illustrated in its wide-ranging activities, which included publishing the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, which in 2015 was ranked eleventh of 135 psychiatry journals and first among 177 pediatric journals. It was reported to be the leading single focus topic worldwide, dedicated to the in-depth study of child and adolescent mental health.
Berger, Kathleen Stassen. The Developing Person through Childhood and Adolescence. New York: Worth Publishers, 2012.
Blaustein, Margaret, and Kristine M. Kinniburgh. Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents: How to Foster Resilience through Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency. New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
Brent, David A., Kimberly D. Poling, and Tina R. Goldstein. Treating Depressed and Suicidal Adolescents: A Clinician's Guide. New York: Guilford Press, 2011.
Isaacs, Susan. Social Development in Young Children. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis, 2013.
Weis, Robert. Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. “Resource Centers.” http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Home.aspx (accessed July 20, 2015).
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3615 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20016-3007, (202) 966-7300, Fax: (202) 966-2891, https://www.aacap .