Mental Health Screenings for Teens May Prevent Addiction

Could routine mental health screenings for high school students become the norm?

A new study suggests it could be a valuable tool in identifying adolescents at-risk for mental illness and connecting those adolescents with recommended follow-up care. The study, reported by Science Daily, included nearly 2,500 high school students and was the largest school-based study conducted to-date by the TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University. Findings are published in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Conducted between 2005 and 2009 at six public high schools in suburban Wisconsin, results found that nearly three out of four high school students identified as being at-risk for having a mental health problem were not in treatment at the time of screening. Of those students identified as at-risk, a significant majority (76.3 percent) completed at least one visit with a mental health provider within 90 days of screening. More than half received minimally adequate treatment, defined as having three or more visits with a provider.

"The value of school-based screening is reinforced by this study and highlights TeenScreen's unique ability to help teens whose mental health problems would otherwise go unidentified," said Leslie McGuire, MSW, TeenScreen's deputy executive director, and an author of the paper.

The computerized screening, designed to identity depression, anxiety and several other mental health conditions, took approximately 10 minutes to complete.

The Mental Health and Drug Abuse Connection

Adolescence is an important window for intervention because 50 percent of all lifetime mental health disorders start by age 14, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Untreated depression and other mental health problems can lead to school failure, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and criminal involvement. Most tragically, untreated mental illness can lead to suicide -- the third leading cause of death among adolescents. Research has shown that most young people with mental illness can be effectively treated and lead productive lives.

Undiagnosed Issues Lead to Self-medicating

A high percentage of adults undergoing substance abuse treatment have been found to have underlying mental health issues ranging from depression and bipolar disorder to anxiety and PTSD, which can contribute to or exacerbate an addiction. Treatment experts know undiagnosed mental health issues can be dangerous because they can cause individuals to turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. Dual Diagnosis treatment for mental health and addiction has been proven to be very successful, though.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

If you or someone you love is in need of treatment for a co-occurring disorder, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.