Registry is an honor roll & information-sharing resource for primary care providers offering mental health screening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2011

NEW YORK – The TeenScreen® National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University today launched the Columbia University TeenScreen Registry – a registry of primary care providers who offer mental health screening during routine adolescent care. Primary care providers listed on the registry use evidence-based questionnaires to identify teens who are struggling with depression, anxiety, or another mental illness. Mental health screening can be easily administered in a doctor’s office as part of routine care and usually takes less than five minutes to complete.

“We are proud to recognize and offer resources to the many primary care providers who have demonstrated their leadership in adolescent healthcare by including mental health checkups in routine visits. Research has shown that mental health checkups with evidence-based questionnaires are an accurate and effective way to identify teens suffering from depression, anxiety, or another mental illness,” said Laurie Flynn, executive director, TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University. “We encourage more providers to visit the registry for information on how they can incorporate mental health screening into their own practices.”

Routine mental health screening for teens is the standard of care. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) are among 40 leading medical professional organizations that recommend routine mental health screening for adolescents. Additionally, routine screening of adolescents for mental illness is now provided under federal health reform as a free preventive service.

“It is so important to provide comprehensive care to our patients and total adolescent health care should include routine mental health screening. It takes less than five minutes and can make a world of difference,” said Lynn M. Wegner, MD, division chief of developmental/behavioral pediatrics and clinical associate professor of pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “The TeenScreen Registry is a terrific new resource for primary care providers who value mental health screening in their practice.”

Primary care providers may continue to enroll in the registry by visiting www.teenscreenregistry.org, where they can sign up to receive free screening questionnaires, access to a private online community to share information about mental health screening in primary care, patient education materials, and a certificate from Columbia University. Registry enrollees are not limited to those using questionnaires provided by TeenScreen.

The public may view a list of the honorees at www.teenscreenregistry.org.

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The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University is a non-profit public health initiative and national policy and resource center devoted to increasing youth access to regular mental health checkups. The TeenScreen National Center is affiliated with the Columbia University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The National Center provides free tools for physicians and school professionals and supports screening efforts at more than 2,000 screening sites in 46 states through its TeenScreen Primary Care and TeenScreen Schools and Communities programs.

Media contact:
Elizabeth Streich: streich@childpsych.columbia.edu; 212.265.3174