{Reference Type}: English Abstract {Title}: [MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS, SOME THEORETICAL ASPECTS]. {Author}: Chicherin LP;Shchepin VO; {Journal}: Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med {Volume}: 32 {Issue}: 3 {Year}: 2024 May 暂无{DOI}: 10.32687/0869-866X-2024-32-3-377-382 {Abstract}: According to official figures, almost 1 billion people suffer from mental disorders worldwide, including adolescents 10-19 years old account for about 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group. The current state of the problem of mental health of children and adolescents, which is formed under the influence of environmental factors and is critical for the personal, social and socio-economic development of a person in subsequent stages of life, is considered. The results of monitoring the mental health of the children's population of the Russian Federation, differentiated at the age of 0-14 and 15-17 years, including under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which were the basis for improving the complex of measures for the prevention of mental disorders and disorders of the contingent's behavior. The terminology used is analyzed. The purpose of the study is to analyze the leading trends in recent years of the state and dynamics of statistical indicators of mental health of children and adolescents with an emphasis on understanding the basic conceptual apparatus, theoretical aspects of the problem from the standpoint of specialists in the field of public health and healthcare.