Suicide is the second leading cause of death in teens. This week is Suicide Prevention Week. To show the enormous impact this public health problem has on individuals, families, workplaces, the healthcare system, and society, and to promote its prevention, the National Council created a new infographic, “Suicide in America.” Link to Infographic
June 2010, NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet #5: The mental health of our children is a natural and important concern for us all. The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years. We refer to mental disorders using different “umbrella” terms such as emotional disturbance, behavioral disorders, or mental illness. Beneath these umbrella terms, there is actually a wide range of specific conditions that differ from one another in their characteristics and treatment. What different emotional disturbances have in common, how they are defined in federal law, and where to find more detailed information on specific disorders. Link to Web Page
Sep 4, Child Trends: Girls and boys face different developmental challenges throughout childhood and adolescence. Although a number of evidence-based programs have been found to be effective at reducing risk factors for children and adolescents, many programs have differential impacts for girls and boys. Understanding what works for girls and what works for boys is critical to improving youth outcomes. Child Trends’ latest research briefs, What Works for Female Children and Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions, and its companion brief focused on boys, What Works for Male Children and Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions, examine programs and strategies that work, as well as those that don’t, for each gender. These literature reviews consider random assignment studies of interventions targeting males or females, as well as studies of both that include outcome data by gender. Compared to boys, girls tend to report more mental health problems and they are susceptible to reproductive health risks, such as unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Compared with girls, boys tend to be more likely to drop out of school, engage in delinquency, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and act out. They are also less likely than females to go to college.
Link to pdf Research Brief: What Works for Male Children and Adolescents
Refugee Portal: Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services: BRYCS created this portal to ensure that refugees have easy access to multilingual resources. The languages include: Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali and Spanish. Refugees may click on their language for resources on the topics of family life and parenting, early childhood, the U.S. school system (K-12), children’s books, and health/mental health. English versions of the materials are also available. Link to Portal
The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) produced a DVD to help States, Tribes, and communities strengthen linkages among child welfare, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and court systems. The DVD features the NCSACW’s 10-Element Framework: Elements of System Linkages and demonstrates strategies for increased multidisciplinary collaboration to better serve children, youth, and families across systems.
The 30-minute video begins with an introduction from H. Westley Clark, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, who discusses the importance of cross-sector collaboration. The framework is demonstrated through programs in Miami, Dade County, FL, and Sacramento County, CA, both of which have experienced positive outcomes. The video features interviews with service recipients, program directors, child protection professionals, dependency court coordinators, and more .