Youth mental health committee launched

By Lo Kuo-chia and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer Add TT as Preferred Source A new committee established yesterday aims to promote legal reforms, provide cross-ministry liaisons and improve early preventive measures to create a well-rounded youth mental health safety net.The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Committee established under the Legislative Yuan’s Health, Welfare and Environment Caucus is to be chaired by National Taiwan University deputy dean Gau Shur-fen (高淑芬).Citing national surveys, Gau said that the lifetime prevalence for psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents stands at 31.6 percent, while the figures for autism are 1 percent, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 8.7 percent, depression 1.7 percent and those entertaining the tho