FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2011

NEW YORK – The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University is offering new resources for mental health screening programs in schools and communities online for the first time. Launched nearly 10 years ago, there are currently more than 2,000 TeenScreen sites in 46 states nationwide, including 28 sites in Texas.

Making the evidenced-based materials available online will make it easier for schools and community-based settings to access the latest version of these continually updated resources and to establish new screening sites for the adolescents they serve.

Margie Wright, executive director of the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas in Dallas, has been coordinating TeenScreen screenings in North Texas for more than 10 years. She pointed out National Institutes of Health research shows that nearly half of all mental disorders start by age 14, some of which could lead to disability or death by suicide if left undetected. There are some 387,000 young people in Texas who suffer from a serious mental disorder with significant impairment.

“We have found the process to be very effective in helping to identify youth who are depressed and some who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. Many of these adolescents are referred for help outside the school,” Ms. Wright said. “But, that referral and any potential subsequent treatment is between the parent and the child and no one else.”

Educators in local North Texas school districts report the effectiveness of screenings. Sharron Thurlkill, freshman counselor at Coppell High School, reported, “TeenScreen was simple to administer and the results were impressive. We were able to reach out to students who were in pain and to offer them and their parents support. It is nice to be part of a school district that educates the whole child.”

The TeenScreen Schools and Communities Screening Process Emphasizes Confidentiality

TeenScreen Schools and Communities screening sites include schools, clinics, shelters and a variety of other youth-serving organization settings. TeenScreen Schools and Communities offers free development and implementation materials, training, screening questionnaires, and technical assistance.

TeenScreen requires that school administrators and teachers not be involved in the screening process to ensure the confidentiality of results. All results from the evidence-based questionnaire are confidential, protected by federal laws: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

To learn more about the screening process, please visit our frequently asked questions here: http://www.teenscreen.org/resources/schools-communities/faqs-for-school-administrators/

The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University is a non-profit health initiative and national policy center devoted to increasing youth access to regular mental health checkups. TeenScreen is listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices and the Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention.

To learn more about the Schools and Communities Program and download new materials, please visit: http://www.TeenScreen.org/programs/schools-communities.

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To arrange an interview with Margie Wright or TeenScreen program leadership, please contact:
Farrell Fitch at (781) 431-6166 or fitchfa@childpsych.columbia.edu.