Mental Health Complexity Among Children and Youth: Current Conceptualizations and Future Directions

Abstract

There is growing evidence that a number of children and youth experience persistent mental health symptoms and repeated service use over time. Collectively, these children and youth are deemed to have “complex mental health needs” and they are the most difficult cases encountered by providers. However, there has been significant confusion surrounding the terminology used to refer to this group and these cases are often defined by their outcomes, impeding identification efforts. This article provides a commentary on current conceptualizations and discusses ways to advance our conceptual understanding of complexity to improve outcomes.