Mental Health Screening Information
Early intervention for mental health can lead to better long-term physical and mental health outcomes. Knowing pediatricians are on the frontline of children’s health, we’re asking you to perform mental health screenings and pass along our resources to parents and caregivers.
Letter from Pediatrician Nicole Brown, MD, MPH, MHS
Nicole Brown, MD, MPH, MHS is a general pediatrician and health services researcher and is the founder and Chief Health Officer of Strong Children Wellness. Her research and professional interests center on enhancing care and service coordination for children who have experienced trauma and those with chronic mental health needs in the pediatric primary care setting.
Dear Colleagues,
As pediatric providers dedicated to providing high-quality care for children and adolescents, many of us have experienced an unprecedented surge in mental health needs among our patients.
Watch the Interview
Mental Health Screening Tools
The American Academy of Pediatrics developed a comprehensive resources toolkit that gathers evidence-based screening tools categorized by age.
Resources for Your Patients
DBSA’s Mood Crew®
Emotional literacy is important for everyone, regardless of mental health status. Teaching children how to articulate and navigate feelings sets the foundation for emotional health, which affects their overall development. DBSA’s Mood Crew was developed to help parents and caregivers, as well as educators and clinicians, begin important conversations on mental health. It’s an emotional literacy program designed for children (4-10) to begin important conversations on mental health. The program consists of 10 emotion-based characters and their accompanying activities to help children learn about emotions.
Posters:
Mood Crew Activities and Instructions
Pediatric Mood Disorder Education
Understanding Mood Disorders in Children and Teens is a great resource for parents or caregivers who may have a child experiencing depression or bipolar disorder. This brochure gives an overview of the conditions and is a helpful resource for guiding parents and caregivers with a newly diagnosed child.
Finding Support
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance was founded by people living with mood disorders for people living with mood disorders. Our free online and in-person support groups provide hundreds of thousands of people across the country with the community, wellness, support, and hope they need to thrive. In addition to support groups for people living with mood disorders, DBSA offers support groups for friends and family members, as well as parents and caregivers. Our online community for parents and caregivers is designed to empower parents with education, wellness tools, and peer support.
We Want to Hear From You
We hope you found this toolkit helpful! Take a short survey to let us know your feedback.
This resource is made possible by a generous grant from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation.
