An estimated 4.6 million children were treated for mental disorders in 2006 at an average cost of -1,931 per child, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported.
But more children were treated for asthma than any other disease or injury, the AHRQ found. It said nearly 13 million children were treated for asthma in 2006 at an average cost of -621 for a total of -8 billion.

“More so now that we are in a recession … I felt I had to go through with the procedure because I cannot afford another child,” said the woman, a registered nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was worried about job security.
“People say, ’You’re a nurse, you’ll always have a job.’ I think it’s not as true as people think it is.”
The recession may be a factor influencing more Americans to opt out of parenthood with abortions and vasectomies, although there is no data available yet to suggest a trend