Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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This mental health screening is designed specifically for young Australians aged 11-17 years. It checks for emotional and behavioural difficulties that many young people experience, and takes just 5-10 minutes to complete. Based on the Paediatric Symptom Checklist – Youth Self-Report (PSC-Y), a scientifically validated tool used by healthcare professionals, this screening is completely confidential and anonymous. A note for young people: It’s completely normal to struggle sometimes with feelings, school, friendships, or family. This test can help you understand if you might benefit from talking to someone. There are no right or wrong answers – just answer honestly about how you’ve been feeling recently.
Important Disclaimer: This is a screening tool only, not a medical diagnosis. If you’re feeling unsafe or having thoughts of harming yourself, tell a trusted adult immediately or call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. Discuss your results with a parent, guardian, school counsellor, or GP. Your responses are completely anonymous and confidential.
How to Complete This Screening:
Think about how you’ve been feeling over the last few months, not just today or this week. Read each statement carefully and choose how often each statement is true for you. Be honest – this screening is designed to help you, not judge you. Answer all questions for the most accurate result.
Rating scale for all questions:
Remember: Everyone feels down, worried, or angry sometimes. This test looks at patterns of feelings over time, not just one bad day or week. Your honest answers will help identify if you might benefit from extra support.
Emotional/Mood Questions
Behavioral Questions
⚠️ CRITICAL: If you answered “Sometimes” or “Often” to questions about wanting to hurt yourself (Question 33) or thinking about death (Question 32), please tell a trusted adult or contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 immediately. These feelings are serious and you deserve help right now.
Each answer is scored as follows:
Total possible score ranges from 0-70 points.
Score Interpretation:
Critical items: Regardless of your total score, if you answered “Often” to questions about self-harm, death, or feeling hopeless, seek help immediately. These responses indicate you need support now.
What this means: Your responses suggest you’re managing reasonably well at the moment. It’s normal to have some difficulties, but overall you seem to be coping with the challenges that come your way.
Keep in mind: Everyone has tough days or weeks – that’s part of being human. If things get harder, it’s okay to ask for help at any time. Taking care of your mental health is important, just like looking after your physical health. Talk to someone if you start to struggle more than usual.
Looking after yourself: Stay connected with friends and family members who make you feel good, do activities you enjoy regularly, get enough sleep (8-10 hours for teens) and eat regular meals, talk about your feelings when needed instead of bottling them up, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if things change.
What this means: Your responses suggest you might be experiencing some difficulties that could benefit from support. This doesn’t mean anything is “wrong” with you – it means talking to someone could help you feel better and cope more easily.
Next steps: Talk to a parent, guardian, or trusted adult about how you’ve been feeling. Consider speaking to your school counsellor, school psychologist, or wellbeing coordinator. Make an appointment with your GP and bring your results to show them how you’ve been feeling.
Who can help: Parents or carers, school counsellor or wellbeing staff, GP or practice nurse, youth workers in your community, trusted teacher or year coordinator, or school chaplain if your school has one.
Remember: Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Lots of young Australians struggle with similar feelings – you’re definitely not alone. There are people who want to support you and things can get better with the right help.
What this means: Your responses suggest you’re experiencing significant difficulties and would likely benefit from professional support. This is important and you deserve help – please don’t try to cope with these feelings alone.
Take action: Tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult as soon as possible about how you’re feeling. Ask them to help you see your GP for a Mental Health Care Plan. Speak to your school counsellor or wellbeing team today. Don’t try to cope alone – reaching out is brave.
If you’re in crisis: If you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself, feeling unable to cope, or in immediate distress:
Important: What you’re feeling is real and valid – your struggles matter. Mental health difficulties are not your fault and don’t make you weak. Treatment and support work, and they’re available to you. You don’t have to feel this way forever – things can improve.
This screening checks for various mental health concerns common in young Australians:
Emotional difficulties: Depression or persistent sadness that doesn’t lift, anxiety or excessive worry that interferes with daily activities, low self-esteem or negative thoughts about yourself, and mood changes that feel hard to control.
Behavioural concerns: Difficulty managing anger or frustration, problems with rules or authority figures, conflicts with peers or family members, and impulsive actions you later regret.
Attention difficulties: Trouble concentrating in class or on homework, easily distracted by thoughts or surroundings, restlessness or feeling like you can’t sit still, and difficulty finishing tasks or assignments.
Social challenges: Friendship problems or feeling like you don’t fit in, feeling isolated or left out from social groups, difficulty connecting with others your age, and avoiding social situations.
Anxiety: Excessive worry, fear, or nervousness that interferes with daily life, school, or friendships. Very common among Australian teens and highly treatable with the right support.
Depression: Persistent sadness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, or feeling hopeless about the future. This is more than just feeling sad sometimes – it’s a real condition that needs treatment.
ADHD: Difficulty with attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity that affects school performance and relationships. Can be managed effectively with support.
Behavioural difficulties: Problems with anger management, following rules, or getting along with others. Often improves with counselling and skills development.
Stress: Feeling overwhelmed by school, friendships, family expectations, or other pressures. Learning coping strategies makes a huge difference.
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. When you’re struggling emotionally, it can affect your school performance, friendships and relationships, family life, physical health, how you feel about yourself, and your future opportunities. The good news is that mental health difficulties are common and treatable. Getting help early makes a big difference to your wellbeing and recovery.
How to start the conversation: It can feel scary to tell someone you’re struggling. Here are some ways to start the conversation:
Who to talk to: Parents or carers, school counsellor or wellbeing coordinator, school psychologist, trusted teacher or year adviser, GP or practice nurse, youth worker in your community, older sibling or family member, friend’s parent, or school chaplain.
What if they don’t listen? Sometimes adults don’t understand straight away or might minimise your feelings. If the first person doesn’t help, try another trusted adult, call Kids Helpline for advice (1800 55 1800), speak to your school nurse or wellbeing team, or keep trying different people. You deserve support and shouldn’t give up.
Talking therapies: School counselling (free at most schools), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help change negative thought patterns, family therapy to improve communication at home, and group therapy with other young people facing similar challenges.
Support services: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) through your local hospital, Headspace centres for young people aged 12-25 (free or low-cost), school counselling and wellbeing programs, youth mental health services in your community, online support programmes like eheadspace, and bulk-billing psychologists through a GP Mental Health Care Plan.
Medication: For some conditions, medication might help alongside therapy. This is always discussed carefully with you and your parents, and monitored by your GP or psychiatrist.
If you need to talk to someone right now:
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Headspace: headspace.org.au
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
eheadspace: 1800 650 890
ReachOut: au.reachout.com
Emergency: If you’re in immediate danger or have seriously hurt yourself:
If your young person has shared these results with you or you’re concerned about their wellbeing, here’s how to respond supportively.
Take it seriously: Thank them for being brave enough to tell you how they’re feeling. Listen without judgement or criticism. Don’t dismiss their feelings as “just a phase” or teenage drama. Believe what they tell you about their experiences.
Next steps: Book a GP appointment and ask about a Mental Health Care Plan (allows up to 10 bulk-billed psychology sessions per year). Contact your child’s school counsellor or wellbeing coordinator. Ask your GP about CAMHS referral if needed, or consider Headspace (free/low-cost for 12-25 year olds). Look into private psychologists if you have private health insurance or can afford gap payments.
What to avoid saying: “You’re too young to be depressed” (young people absolutely can experience mental illness), “It’s just a phase” (dismisses real suffering), “Just think positive” (mental illness isn’t about attitude), “Other people have it worse” (invalidates their struggles), or “You have nothing to be sad about” (implies their feelings aren’t legitimate).
Supporting them: Keep communication open and check in regularly, look out for warning signs like withdrawal or behaviour changes, help them access professional support and attend appointments, take care of your own mental health too (parenting a struggling teen is challenging), and be patient – recovery takes time and isn’t always linear.
Resources for parents:
This screening is based on: Paediatric Symptom Checklist – Youth Self-Report (PSC-Y), a scientifically validated screening tool used internationally to identify psychosocial problems in children and adolescents.
Reference: Jellinek, M., Murphy, J.M., et al. (1988). Pediatric Symptom Checklist: Screening school-age children for psychosocial dysfunction. The Journal of Pediatrics, 112(2), 201-209.
For more information: Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry – Pediatric Symptom Checklist
Important disclaimer: This online screening tool is not a diagnostic instrument and provides guidance only. It cannot replace professional medical evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider. If you’re having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, seek immediate help by calling Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Lifeline (13 11 14), or emergency services (000). Mental health difficulties are treatable. This tool is for informational purposes only. We do not store personal health information and comply with Australian Privacy Principles.