Fundamental changes in public attitudes toward the mentally ill are needed if progress in better treatment is to really continue within this country. (Editor)

Discusses the effect of an urban environment on the mental health of the individuals who exist in that environment. (HMV)

The Team Nutrition Grant (TNG) Project began in 2003 with the goal to guide and assist schools to create and maintain a coordinated, comprehensive school health program. Such a program integrates a school's child nutrition programs, with the classroom, the community, and entire school environment. A coordinated, comprehensive school health program…

This issue of "Residential Group Care Quarterly" includes the following articles: (1) "Residential Treatment: Finding the Appropriate Level of Care" (Shay Bilchik); (2) "Family-Centered Practices" (Rodger McDaniel and Brenden McKinney); and (3) "Can the Community Serve Sex Offenders?" (Point/Counterpoint--Daniel Wallach and Wayne D. Parks).…

This policy brief describes the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative, a policy designed to improve early childhood programs to ensure that all children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. The SECCS is intended to help states build a bridge from birth to school and addresses how states will support children and…

This report stems from an invitation to the Center staff to reflect on the past, present, and future of mental health in schools for a brief presentation. Because the topic is so broad, we knew that the request for a "brief" overview would not provide sufficient detail. Anyone who has spent time in schools can itemize the multifaceted…

Noting that too many children with elevated lead levels are not being identified in the United States, this report presents policy guidelines for increasing screening and follow-up care of children who most need these services, and for helping communities pursue the most appropriate approach to preventing childhood lead poisoning. Following an…

A significant minority of teens and preteens suffer from anxiety disorders, depression and other mood disorders, behavior problems, and drug and alcohol addiction. Others have low self-esteem, difficulty coping, and feelings of insecurity. Given the harmful consequences of such disorders, policymakers and practitioners should be alert to teens…

The U.S. Surgeon General's 2000 Report on Children's Mental Health estimates that one in five children and adolescents will experience a significant mental-health problem during their school years. While the family is the primary source of support for a child's mental health, the increased stress and fracturing of today's life make it imperative…

Primary prevention addresses issues which are not yet identified as problematic for a specific population. Primary prevention programs typically: (1) are oriented toward a group, rather than an individual; (2) have a before-the-fact quality that implies the population is not maladjusted; and (3) offer programs with the intention of preventing…

This report describes lessons learned over the initial 3 years of the implementation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's SafeFutures Program To Reduce Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Violence, a 5-year demonstration initiative designed to prevent and control juvenile delinquency through a continuum of care in communities.…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which children's mental health agencies can meet the information needs they consider to be most important and also comply with recommended standards of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Projects (MHSIP). Three children's data sets representing three different agency…

These four symposium papers provide examples of different states that have experimented with various criteria and approaches in developing youth mental health services. The four states profiled, North Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, are using the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) to assess impairment in…

This paper summarizes results of a study which determined usage of mental health services by children with depressive disorders and whether patterns of service use and parents' perceptions of service use barriers are the same for children with depressive disorders as for those with disruptive disorders. The study used data from the Methods for…

For more than 30 years, school-based health centers have been making an important difference in the health of millions of children by providing an array of medical and other health services at school. This brochure addresses school-based dental care as part of the Caring for Kids program, a multi-site grant program funded through the Robert Wood…