Public Health and Environment

Teen Mental Health Strategies

Strategy:  Anti-stigma public education that encourages help-seeking behaviors.

• Activities:
  • Media campaigns and feature stories in local newspapers and magazines.
  • Information and awareness events.
  • Media guidelines for reporting suicides.
  • Use consistent messages and terminology to promote community norms that support the mental health of teens, positive youth development, help seeking and recovery.
  • Awareness education for policymakers.
  • Address needs of diverse populations.

 Strategy:  Community organization, assessment and implementation of coordinated services.

• Activities:
  • Coalition building.
  • Consensus of community partners for vision, goal and message.
  • Collection and analysis of data related to mental health in the community.
  • Planning and implementing a coordinated approach to intervention activities, outreach, networking and referrals.

Strategy:  Promoting education, training, skill development in communities and schools.

• Activities:
  • K-12 prevention and intervention programs.
  • Curriculum (example: Life Skills).
  • Safe school policies.
  • Mentoring programs between youth and caring adults.
  • Attention to diversity.
  • Health Realization training.
  • Circle of Support.
  • Attention to attendance, tardiness and truancy.
  • Promoting the role of the "natural helper" (clergy, coaches, advisors, other).
  • Screening for depression in classes.
  • Education for school staff, parents and other community members.
  • Patient education.

Strategy:  Strengthen crisis response, safety nets, and follow-up care.

• Activities:
  • Train suicide crisis teams in communities and schools.
  • Create/update emergency response plans.
  • Train professionals on symptoms, warning signs, screening, diagnosis, referral, availability and access to treatment.

Strategy:  Restricting access to methods of suicide and channels for suicide thoughts.

• Activities:
  • Promote and enforce means of restriction for firearms, medication, toxic substances and other means of attempting suicide.
  • Restrictions of alcohol use by underage youth.
  • Restriction of violent video games.
  • Awareness and enforcement of curfews.
  • Media savvy education.

Strategy:  Promote physical activity (proven method in reducing the incidence of depression).

• Activities:
  • Systems change for K- 12 physical activity opportunities.
  • Community resources for physical activities that include fun, non-competitive opportunities.
  • Support family based community activities.

Strategy:  Promote protective factors (circumstances and experiences that buffer young people from involvement in behaviors and outcomes damaging to themselves and/or others).

• Activities:
  • Use of Search Institutes 40 Developmental Assets.
  • Konopka Institute of Best Practice of Adolescent Health.
  • Minnesota Alliance With Youth.
  • Health Realizations frameworks.
  • Support community events that are alcohol free and family based.

References:

• Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota.
• Mental Health:   A Report of the Surgeon General, 1999.
• Minnesota Department of Health Report to the Minnesota Legislature: Suicide Prevention Plan (January 15, 2000).
• Minnesota Department of Health, Strategies for Public Health (1998 to 1999).
• Vermont Agency of Human Services. Promoting Positive Youth Development in Your Community, What Works (February, 2000).