Laurie M. Flynn

Identifying Adolescents at Risk through Voluntary School-Based Mental Health Screening.

This study compares referrals for mental health services among high school students randomized to two means of referral to mental health services: referral via systematic identification through a brief mental health screening procedure (n = 365) or referral via the usual process of identification by school personnel, parents, or students themselves (n = 291). Screened students were significantly more likely than control students (AOR: 21.64 95%CI 6.66-70.36) to receive a referral for mental health services, whether it be to school-based services (AOR: 11.68 95%CI 3.52-8.73) or community-based services (AOR: 20.02 95%CI 2.66-150.41). Post-study, for those screened, 95.5% of school-based mental health services referrals, and 39.3% of community-based referrals were accessed. School based mental health screening identified a significantly greater proportion of youth to be in clinical need of mental health services than would have likely been identified without screening, and increased rates of referral resulted in greater access to mental health services.

Mental Health Screening of Adolescents in Pediatric Practice

This study examines routine computerized mental health screening for adolescents scheduled for a routine physical examination in a group pediatric practice. Medical records of adolescents aged 13 to 17 who were offered screening (n = 483) were reviewed. Approximately 44.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 40.3–49.2) were screened, and 13.9% (95% CI 9.3–18.5) were identified as being at risk. Screening was associated with significantly increased odds of receiving either pediatric mental health care or a referral for specialty mental health care (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.6 95% CI 1.2–5.6). Among patients who received either mental health intervention, those who were screened were significantly more likely to be referred to specialty care (AOR: 15.9 95% CI 2.5–100.4), though they were less likely to receive pediatric mental health care (AOR: 0.10 95% CI 0.02–0.54). The findings support the feasibility of routine mental health screening in pediatric practice. Screening is acceptable to many parents and adolescents, and it is associated with referral for specialized mental health care rather than care from the pediatrician.

NAMI Executive Summary

Reprinted from A Legacy of Failure: The Inability of the Federal-State Vocational Rehabilitation System to Serve People with Severe Mental Illnesses by J. H. Noble, Jr., R. S. Honberg, L. L. Hall, & L. M. Flynn, 1997, Arlington, VA: The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Copyright 1997 by The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Reprinted with permission. Employment: Avowed by all as the key to self-sufficiency and the backbone of a strong American society, it is seldom attained by citizens with severe mental illnesses (see Note). Despite the fact that people with these brain disorders want