ABSTRACT
Child and adolescent psychiatric services save society many times their cost and therefore are a shrewd investment. A sound financial plan first estimates the incidence and prevalence of need in a community or population and then estimates the costs of effective treatment plans by mental health teams. These actions, together, yield a solidly based budget, to which should be added costs for supervising the team, in-service training, and consultation with and training of other agencies. Early recognition and treatment save money compared to later recognition and treatment. These procedures are obvious and sensible but rarely done.
