CURRENT PROJECTS

Developing Mental Health Indicators for U.S. Children and Adolescents: The Action! Signs Project

REACH Staff

Peter Jensen, M.D. (Principal Investigator)

Project Director:

Eliot Goldman, Ph.D.

Partners

Steering Committee

Links

Phase I Document

Action! Signs Toolkit

Project Description

Despite well-documented levels of emotional and behavioral problems in the nation’s youth, studies have repeatedly shown that most youth with mental health problems are not identified and do not receive needed care.  These children are not readily identified or referred for treatment due to concerns about stigmatization as well as a pervasive lack of awareness/knowledge among the general public, providers, and parents.  Therefore, there is a need for consistent messages based on evidence-based information concerning what are the most pertinent early warning signs of mental illness; how to determine which children are at risk, and what steps to take when children exhibit such early warning signs.  To address these and related problems, the Surgeon General issued a “call to action” in January 2001, urging the development of “early warning signs” or indicators that when present, warrant additional professional assistance. 

In response, in CMHS and NIMH awarded a contract to REACH Director Peter S. Jensen (while he was at Columbia University) to identify a set of indicators using rigorous research methods, guided and further refined with input from parents, doctors, teachers, and youth. Working with a Steering Committee composed of experts in the fields of epidemiology, public policy, and advocacy, staff identified a number of indicators or “action signs” that if present in a child may warrant professional attention.  These warning signs have been formed and sculpted by two methods:  analysis of large epidemiological data sets and feedback from various stakeholders in nationwide focus groups.  The current list consists of 11 indicators, and have also been translated into Spanish. 

Recently, the Center for Mental Health Services of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry endorsed the final wording and use of the signs.   

Support & Funding

These warning signs were developed under a contract from SAMHSA/HHS, contract number 520712.  The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.

Links

Phase I Document

Final Warning Signs Document