Aretai

We are seeing many young people with mental illness who benefit from our treatments, yet too often they lack the personal, family, or community resources to move beyond symptom relief to full recovery. We also see a growing number of young people who might otherwise be well but arrive overwhelmed by despair, disconnected from peers and school, and unprepared for a rapidly changing world. Their families and communities are under strain and need a clear roadmap to support their children, restore connection, and bring calm and predictability to daily life.

That’s John T. Walkup of Northwestern University and president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in his inaugural address to the academy, published in January 2026. He advocates “population-based approaches—prevention, mental health promotion, and recovery strategies with a focus on community-based programming.”