Early intervention is a cornerstone of successful mental health care. Screening middle and high school students across the country for depression and suicidality would therefore be a prudent and cost-effective undertaking. Adolescence is a time of change – physical, mental and emotional. It is a time of challenges, some of which can feel, to a young person, quite extreme.
Even a cursory look at the statistics reveals a solid case for universal screening.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), four million children and adolescents in the U.S. suffer from "a serious mental illness." But in any given year only 20 percent of these youth are identified and receiving services. Furthermore, research shows that suicide is the third-leading cause of death in 15 to 24-year-olds and that over 90 percent of youth who die by suicide suffered from a mental illness.
Universal prevention strategies, such as the SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program, are designed to reach an entire population without regard to individual risk factors and are intended to reach a very large audience. Such programs are provided to everyone in the identified group, such as a school or grade, with a focus on risk reduction and health promotion.
Universal mental health screening in schools would translate into saved lives. This is supported by the 2003 President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health: "For consumers of all ages, early detection, assessment, and linkage with treatment and supports can prevent mental health problems from compounding and poor life experiences from accumulating. Early intervention can have a significant impact on the lives of children and adults who experience mental health problems."
On January 16, 2013, "Now Is the Time: The President’s plan to protect our children and communities by reducing gun violence" was released. One of President Obama’s proposed initiatives was "Increasing access to mental health services." The plan includes a range of strategies, such as "Support individuals ages 16 to 25 at high risk for mental illness" and "Train more than 5,000 additional mental health professionals to serve students and young adults." However, the only parts of the plan that address early intervention rely on trained individuals doing so. But people with mental disorders are very often good at masking those disorders. Bringing in screening as well would make it less likely that they would "slip through the net."
And yet, according to a USA Today column from January 31, 2013, "Best estimates suggest that fewer than 2% of schools have a systematic mental health screening program."
There is an obligation for all who work in the field of mental health to continue pushing for early screening.