FROM THE perspective of services delivery and services research, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report1 and the "report card" by the IOM Committee for the Study of Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders2 in this issue of the Archives reflect a flawed and circumscribed perspective. That perspective needs revision. The original IOM report limited itself to research relating primarily to diagnosable mental disorders. It dealt with phenomena such as drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of school as consequences of or risk factors for developing mental disorders.
A POLICY-FOCUSED PERSPECTIVE
Conditions that significantly affect large numbers of lives warrant a high priority. Examples of such conditions are conduct disorder, substance abuse, violence, abuse/neglect, and the use of psychotropic medication in the treatment of children and adolescents. Unfortunately, the attention and resources these prevalent problems receive is meager. Research expenditures per year of potential life lost