Those in the public health field are in a unique position to help promote the mental health of young people and reshape how the nation thinks about and addresses mental health. This brief highlights ways in which such professionals can join in the process of ensuring the impending transformation of the mental health system leads to better outcomes…

This paper reports on the University of South Carolina School-Based Mental Health Project, a program which provides mental health services within a public school setting in an effort to maximize the preventive and educational effects of mental health services within schools. The project is also developing a model to serve as a foundation for a…

This investigation is a follow-up of the subsequent psychiatric histories of children who did or did not participate in a preventively oriented school mental health program. Early detected vulnerable children were found to have disproportionately high later appearances in a community-wide psychiatric register. Retrospective analyses of the…

Effectiveness Training Programs are offering parents, teachers, counselors and administrators a new philosophy of dealing with children and youth, and of working with each other. These courses hold out a challenge to persons who have an interest in humanizing our families and schools. (Author)

Examines suicide statistics among Blacks, particularly males. Holds that high suicide rates for Black males are related to low self-image, resulting from various socioeconomic barriers. Recommends community prevention programs and community support systems as suicide deterrents. (DA)

Describes three community health center projects to develop and expand school-based mental health and violence prevention services. Key project features include: customized services; effective referral systems; confidentiality measures; and appropriate space, location, and staffing. Principal issues are integration and coordination, funding, and…

Provides an overview of what is known about the problem of sexual abuse of children and society's response to it. A list of recommendations is provided by the Center for the Future of Children, and an analysis is presented in the following areas: scope and nature of child sexual abuse; reporting, investigation, and adjudication; and treatment and…

This paper presents bibliotherapy as a feasible method for preventing or curing problems of gifted and talented youngsters. It describes stages in bibliotherapy, examines who can benefit from bibliotherapy, discusses ways in which bibliotherapy may benefit gifted students, and outlines steps in implementing a bibliotherapy program. (JDD)

Asserts that mental health counselor education has overemphasized psychopathology and psychotherapy in its curriculum and has not devoted sufficient attention to positive mental health topics such as mobilization of assets, environmental influences, cultural factors, work behavior, rehabilitation, preventive interventions, and use of support…

Healthy Relationships is a small-group, social cognitive theory-based HIV prevention intervention designed for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Healthy Relationships intervention was demonstrated effective in a controlled randomized clinical trial. The intervention also integrated stress reduction with sexual risk reduction techniques, but the…

The issue of suicide, including prevention, intervention, and postvention, continues to be a problem on college campuses. For this study, data concerning a variety of issues related to college student suicide were collected from 1,865 students at four different universities. Incidence, risk factors, and potential solutions are described, as well…

Explores the relationships between childhood externalizing problems and adult psychological well-being, social support, and intimate relationship quality. The results indicate that childhood problems predict lower levels of adult psychological well-being, kin support, and relationship quality. Findings suggest that the best way for parents to…

This paper compares the advantages of a strength-based perspective to the long-standing pathology-based approach to assessment. Theoretical advantages to strength-based assessment, such as greater compatibility with early prevention efforts and increased acceptance by multiple stakeholders, are suggested. The "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment"…

Over the past 30 years, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2 to 5 years and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, and it has more than tripled for children 6 to 11 years of age (Institute of Medicine, 2005). At present, approximately 9 million children over 6 years are considered obese (Institute of…

Outside of major illness or severe developmental problems, child mental health has not previously been a focus of much study. The West Australian Child Health Survey (WACHS) was one of the first surveys to specifically address mental health as part of an attempt to gain comprehensive data on child and adolescent health. During 1993, data were…