Press
Releases

FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2003

CONTACT:
Laurie Flynn, (646-443-8191)

President
Bush's Commission on Mental Health Endorses
Screening Youth to Prevent the Development of
Serious Mental Health Problems

Columbia University's TeenScreen®
Program Cited as a Model for Early Detection and
Intervention

NEW YORK-The final report issued by President
Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
asserts that early detection, assessment and links
with treatment are key to preventing many mental
health problems from worsening. Achieving the
Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in
America recommends intervening as early as
possible and calls for schools and primary care
settings to implement screening programs like
Columbia University's TeenScreen® program, so that
youth who are living with or who are at-risk for
mental illness can be linked to treatments that
could prevent disabilities and suicide.

"We're thrilled that the Commission
recognizes the importance of mental health
screening and honored that they chose the
TeenScreen® program as a model for others to
follow," said Laurie Flynn, director of Columbia
University's Carmel Hill Center for Early
Diagnosis and Treatment. "For the first time, this
Commission has put a governmental stamp of
approval on mental health screening as a
prevention tool in the fight against mental
illnesses," continued Flynn, who also serves as
the director of Positive Action for Teen Health, a
national initiative working to ensure all American
teens are screened for depression and suicide risk
before they graduate from high school.

The
need for universal screening was underscored by
the Commission, which noted in its report that
mental disorders often go undiagnosed and
untreated in youth - making many susceptible to a
"downward spiral" that can include school failure,
depression and suicide, the third leading cause of
death among young people. The Commission points to
schools and primary care settings as instrumental
partners in the early detection of mental health
problems among youth, places that have proven
successful platforms for the TeenScreen® program.

"One of TeenScreen's greatest strengths is
its versatility," said Leslie McGuire, director of
the TeenScreen® program. "It can be adapted to
identify a variety of disorders and can be
implemented in a range of venues where young
people intersect with caregivers," she said.
School districts have been particularly successful
at integrating TeenScreen® into existing services
and the program is also used effectively in
clinical settings and by community organizations.
"Because the TeenScreen® program is free, many
school districts and other youth serving
organizations have been able to create or expand
existing mental health programs to meet the
growing need for adolescent mental health
services," said McGuire.

About
TeenScreen®
More than 800,000 U.S. teens
suffer from depression each year and more than
500,000 make a suicide attempt requiring medical
attention. TeenScreen® was built on a decade of
research by Columbia University that shows a
simple confidential screening of teens is the most
effective method for detecting adolescents at risk
for depression, suicide, and other mental
illnesses. TeenScreen® is currently offered at 67
sites across 27 states and Guam. Columbia
University is committed to expanding the program
to 400 additional sites in the next two years.
Qualifying sites receive screening materials,
training and technical assistance at no charge.

Since 1991, the Columbia University
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has
invested nearly $19 million in the research and
development of the Columbia TeenScreen® program.
The development of TeenScreen® and the Positive
Action for Teen Health initiative are supported by
private family foundation grants. No funds have
been received from the providers or manufacturers
of health services or products.

To learn
more about the TeenScreen® program, please visit
http://www.teenscreen.org/
or call 1-866-TEENSCREEN.

About the New
Freedom Commission on Mental
Health
President George W. Bush established
the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health in April 2002 as part of his commitment to
eliminate inequality for Americans with
disabilities. The President directed the
Commission to identify policies that could be
implemented by Federal, State and local
governments to maximize the utility of existing
resources, improve coordination of treatments and
services, and promote successful community
integration for adults with a serious mental
illness and children with a serious emotional
disturbance.
For more information about the
Commission or to obtain a copy of its report,
visit http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/

Return
to Press Releases