Mental health issues are the leading cause of children's hospitalization in Maine, with illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder topping the list, according to the ninth annual Kids Count Data Book released Tuesday by the Maine Children's Alliance.

"These are manageable illnesses and shouldn't be represented by such large numbers of hospitalizations. We are obviously missing something when it comes to prevention," said Lynn Davey, director of Maine Kids Count and a developmental psychologist.

The annual report, which MCA directors hope will be the impetus for new government policy, ranks each county in terms of children's well-being, using indicators including physical and mental health, social and economic opportunity, education and learning, and demographics. For the first time, the report contained data on inpatient hospitalization.

The price tag associated with the dearth of preventive care is "extraordinary," said Davey, noting that 25 percent of all costs for inpatient hospitalizations of children ages 0-17 are for mental health and substance abuse.

"It's hard for parents to know when kids need help until they get into crisis," said Davey. "Some hospitalization makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that it's the leading cause of hospitalization. The money we're spending for hospitalization could be used more productively."

The new data should be especially relevant given the "governor's interest in creating state health policy and the fact that mental health parity legislation has been proposed," Davey said.

Maine's child and teen suicide rate, which, since last year's report, has increased 15 percent - from 6.1 to 7 per 100,000 children, supports the idea that Maine children aren't getting adequate mental health care when they need it, according to Davey.

"Suicide is entirely preventable," she said.

Between 1996 and 2000, there was an average of 13 teen suicides, up from 11 during the previous five years.

"Given this other context that shows kids aren't getting managed mental health care when they need it, the suicide increase is really troubling," Davey said.

While more girls attempt suicide, more boys are successful in their attempts because they use more lethal means, Davey said.

The need for special education services shows no sign of slowing, either in Maine or nationally, according to the report. In 2001, 36,580 Maine students - or 16 percent - needed special education services, up from 15.8 percent the year before.

More than 35 percent have specific learning disabilities, such as problems with reading comprehension, while the next-largest group - more than 25 percent - have a speech and language impairment. Ten percent of special education students have been identified as having an emotional disability.

Children with the most serious disabilities, such as deafness and blindness or with a traumatic brain injury, take up a small portion of the total pie.

Sixty-nine percent of males and 31 percent of females have been identified as needing special education, according to the report.

Maine isn't unusual regarding the gender difference of special needs students, according to Davey. While boys who have trouble learning tend to act out and become unruly, girls internalize their problems, she said.

The question is whether Maine is providing adequate resources to address the needs of special education students, Davey said. "If we don't invest in helping these kids now, what kind of price are we all going to pay later?" she asked.