Considerable research documents that LGBTQ youth are more likely to experience mental health challenges than their heterosexual peers, including higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This first Science-to-Practice Brief summarizes a study on protective factors related to depression and suicidality among U.S. sexual and…

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has swiftly infected millions of people since it was first identified in late 2019. While much remains unknown about the virus, it is increasingly clear that many survivors (including children and adolescents) struggle with ongoing symptoms for months after they receive a negative test.…

The suicide of a student has a rippling effect in the school environment as well as in the greater community, as a single adolescent death by suicide increases the risk of additional suicides. The process by which a completed suicide (or at times, suicidal behavior) increases the suicidal behavior of others is called contagion. When multiple…

Since being published in 1997, "Harry Potter" books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 80 languages (Pottermore News Team, 2018). Although Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is vastly different from public school, adolescents from both worlds share common struggles. On a daily…

Adolescent drug abuse is a national concern with 22% to 35% of high school age individuals having used tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana (Kann et al., 2014). Additionally, approximately 5% of adolescents develop a substance use disorder each year (SAMHSA, 2014). However, only one in ten adolescents of the 1.3 million youth who need treatment will…

Extensive research suggests that adolescence is a critical developmental period, especially when it comes to factors that influence mental health problems. Systematic efforts to promote adolescent help-seeking are essential for improving long-term mental health outcomes. Defined as a "behavior of actively seeking help from other people,"…

School psychologists are uniquely trained to deliver high quality mental and behavioral health services in the school setting to ensure all students have the support they need to be successful in school, at home, and throughout life. School psychologists are uniquely positioned in schools to facilitate the development, delivery, and monitoring of…

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a great time to highlight the importance of mental wellness and school-based mental health services to children's positive learning and development. There is heightened urgency to the imperative to advance school-based mental health and school psychologists' expertise as essential to the…

Depression is the leading cause of disability and illness for individuals ages 10 to 19 (World Health Organization, 2014) and, despite inconsistencies regarding prevalence rates among racial groups (Merikangas, Nakamura, & Kessler, 2009), non-Whites are often affected by this diagnosis at higher rates than White youth (Wagstaff & Polo,…

The school is a primary context in which children and teenagers learn and interact with others. Chinese school professionals have attached great importance to students' psychological health (Huang, 2012). However, in traditional Chinese psychology, psychological education referred to educational activities, such as mental health classes,…

This article provides an overview of the joint "Resolution on Gender and Sexual Orientation Diversity in Children and Adolescents in Schools" that was adopted by the American Psychological Association's (APA) Council of Representatives (CoR) and the National Association of School Psychologists' (NASP) Leadership Assembly during the…

Anniversaries are appropriate times for reflecting on the past and planning for the future, and in this 100th anniversary year of Sigmund Freud's famous group meeting--a meeting among a large group of prominent mental health professionals that provides a useful marker and arguable "starting point" for contemporary youth suicide prevention efforts,…

The estimated prevalence of one or more mental health disorders among children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 17 is 21% (Satcher, 2001). Similarly, research by Greenberg et al., (2003) estimated that 20% of school-age youth experience mental health problems during the course of any school year. Despite these high prevalence rates, the…

Psychotropic medications are increasingly used to treat children and adolescents with mental health conditions. Between the years 1994 and 2001, there was a 191.7% increase in number of office visits resulting in a psychotropic medication prescription among children and adolescents. Many drugs are prescribed to children "off-label", whereby they…

The reemergence of positive psychology in the past 15 years has brought a renewed focus on psychological dispositions such as gratitude and their relationship to youth's subjective well-being and academic achievement. Similarly, youth development and developmental asset literatures have emphasized the value of examining youth positive…