TEENSCREEN®: Screening Adolescents for Psychiatric Disorders

NAMI of Whatcom County is proud to announce that several schools and local agencies in Whatcom County have begun screening middle and high school students for early indications of any psychiatric conditions. Led by our own Betty Scott, TEENSCREEN@ has finally become a reality here at home.

Almost three years of planning and hard work have led to several pilot schools as well as several service provider agencies in our county having been trained by Columbia staff to provide screening and, where appropriate, referrals to mental health professionals in our community.

Participating schools include Squalicum High School, Mt. Baker Middle and High Schools, and Lynden Middle School. Students at these schools who have obtained their parents' permission may seek to participate in the screening by contacting their school counselors.

The DISC (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) Predictive Scales known as DPS are brief sets of questions designed to give an indication of the likelihood of a psychiatric diagnosis for 18+ disorders. Student first take the written DPS Screening. A follow-up interview with their counselor may then lead to a referral to a primary care provider for more in-depth professional help in sorting out the nature of any indications of early warning signs.

An alternative to the DISC written screening is a more comprehensive diagnostic tool called the Voice DISC. Some young people will be screened, not in their schools, but at other participating agencies in Whatcom County. Included in this group are the participating agencies of Northwest Youth Services and, eventually, Dr. Watson and Associates.

In addition, staff at Whatcom County Juvenile Detention Center have recently been trained to administer the Voice DISC screening tool. They are participating in a research project in collaboration with Columbia University's Center for the Promotion of Mental Health in Juvenile Justice.

To aid us in our early intervention efforts, NAMI has received two small grants; one from Columbia University to be used for children who have been screened and recommended for referral and who need financial support for further diagnosis and treatment and the other from Whatcom County taxpayers through the County's Mental Health Advisory Board.

Encouraging parents and children themselves as well as teachers and other school district staff and juvenile justice system personnel to understand the link between a child's behavior and his/her mental health is the first step in helping children who may, for a variety of reasons--including genetic precursors--to head off potential serious consequences.

Early identification and appropriate and timely interventions will save children-sometimes literally saving lives-and will make our schools and communities safer and healthier places in which to grow-up.