Teens With Disabilities Report Poorer Mental Health Than Peers Without Disabilities, Researchers Say.

Disability Scoop (2/2, Rockett) reports, “Young people with disabilities report poorer mental health compared with peers without disabilities.” According to University of Illinois at Chicago researchers, teens with disabilities “are up to five times more likely to experience mental, emotional and behavioral health disorders than adolescents without disabilities.” Kristin Berg, “UIC associate professor of disability and human development at the college of applied health sciences, is tackling the latter issue as co-principal investigator of the Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST project) – a new $7 million, five-year study (funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) that will assess the integration of mental health services as part of state care coordination services instead of relying on referrals to mental health services.”