More than 90 percent of youth who die by suicide suffer from a diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of their death. Mental health checkups allow parents the opportunity to find out if their teen may be at risk.
TeenScreen Schools and Communities is a voluntary program that requires parent consent for participation. The program uses a screening questionnaire and, when indicated, a one-on-one interview with a mental health professional to determine if a teenager may be at risk for depression, suicide, or other mental health problems. Parents of youth found to be at possible risk are immediately notified, and the local TeenScreen program provides the family with a list of community resources where the teen can obtain a complete evaluation.
Screening involves the following stages:
- Parent Consent: Parent consent is required for participation in local TeenScreen Schools and Communities programs. Parents receive a letter that explains the screening process and what will happen if their child is identified as possibly being at-risk for a mental health problem. Written parent consent (“active consent”) is required for school-based screening programs and is recommended as a best practice for non school-based programs, which must also obtain parent consent.
- Participant Assent: Teens are given a description of the program and are told that participation is voluntary.
- Screening Questionnaire: Participants complete a brief, scientifically-tested, self-administered screening questionnaire.
- Clinical Interview: Participants who score positive on the screening questionnaire are interviewed by an on-site mental health professional to determine if further evaluation is necessary. Only those teens who score positive on the screening questionnaire and are also deemed to be at-risk by a mental health professional are considered a positive screen and receive a recommendation for a complete mental health evaluation. Teens who score negative on the screening questionnaire receive a debriefing interview during which participants can request an interview with a clinician or ask questions about the screening process.
- Parent Notification, Referral and Case Management: Screening staff contact parents of youth who would benefit from a complete evaluation. Parents are informed of the screening results and offered information and assistance with obtaining an appointment with a qualified health professional of their choice.
We invite you to learn more about the various models of implementation that can be used to develop a local screening program and the steps of the screening process, including the principles of quality screening programs.
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Programs & Initiatives 
