Until the 2001 Surgeon General's report there had been no acknowledgment of the need for a national plan for research priorities to improve services and reduce illness burden for children and adolescents with severe mental disorders. Barriers to services among those in need include individual and family factors, and clinician and service system factors. Additionally, little reserch is available on the impact of major policy reforms on children's ability to obtain efficacious care. Critical research gaps exist in a number of areas with the prevention and early intervention area representing a particularly important missed opportunity.