Organizational Resources for Families of Depressed Teens
Gail has developed the following list of resources for depressed teens and their families. The list includes organizations that are dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention through various channels, including government policy reform, education, scientific research, and psychiatric support. Their common goal is to raise mental health awareness as the number of cases of teen depression throughout the nation rise.
- Active Minds: Active Minds on Campus is a student-run mental health awareness, education, and advocacy organization, which utilizes peer-to-peer outreach to promote its educational mission on university campuses across the United States. www.activemindsoncampus.org
- American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP): AACAP aims to promote understanding and treatment of the developmental, behavioral, and mental disorders, which affect children, adolescents and their families. Their series of informational pamphlets, "Facts for Families" are available on line. (Also see ("ParentsMedGuide" below) www.aacap.org
- American Association of Suicidology: a nonprofit organization of mental health professionals, suicide prevention center volunteers and survivors of suicide, devoted to educating the public about suicide prevention. www.suicidology.org
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading knowledge about suicide and the means to prevent it. AFSP offers an excellent short-video, "The Truth about Suicide: Real Stories of Depression on Campus," and a facilitator's guide for instructional use on college campuses. www.afsp.org
- American Psychiatric Association (APA): a medical specialty professional organization of over 35,000 U.S. and international member physicians. (Also see "ParentsMedGuide" below) In 2005 the APA launched a new website. www.HealthyMinds.org, a consumer friendly site organized by psychiatric disorder and topic information; the site offers a referral service linking patients to psychiatrists nation-wide. Call 1-888-35-PSYCH. www.HealthyMinds.org; www.psych.org
- American Psychological Association (APA): a professional organization of researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students working to advance psychology as a science and profession. Offers numerous educational resourses and by calling 1-800-964-2000 an operator will locate your state's psychological association's referral service. www.apa.org
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the rights of children (and adults) with mental illnesses, working on issues related to incarceration and relinquishment of custody, and equal access to care and treatment. www.bazelon.org
- Breaking the Silence: an educational and advocacy organization that offers lesson plans, games and posters directed at upper elementary, middle and high school aged children, designed to put a human face on mental illness and address the myths that re-enforce stigma. www.btslessonplans.org
- Campaign for Mental Health Reform: a national partnership of organizations representing people with mental or emotional disorders, their families, service providers, administrators, and other concerned Americans, designed to address to access, recovery, coherence and quality in mental health services at the national level by engaging federal policymakers. www.mhreform.org
- Centers for Disease Control, United States Government: collects statistical information regarding youth suicide and attempted suicide in the Centers for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF. The CDC also identifies six critical types of adolescent health behavior that research shows contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among adults and youth. www.cdc.gov
- Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health: a joint effort among Columbia University, the NY State Psychiatric Institute, and the NY State Office of Mental Health at Columbia University, the Center aims to accelerate the acceptance and effective use of proven interventions that foster children's emotional and behavioral health by involving key community partners and stakeholders to identify and adapt science-based intervention methods. www.kidsmentalhealth.org
- Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF): a parent-led, web-based membership organization of families raising children diagnosed with, or at risk for, early-onset bipolar disorder. The web site includes information and resources on early-onset bipolar disorder. www.cabf.org
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): advocates on behalf of patients and families through a patient-directed national organization offering peer support and information. www.DBSAlliance.org
- Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA): offers educational programs and support services including Day for Night, informational video about depression for teens and their families. DRADA's adjunct website is an excellent resource for teens and families: www.depressedteens.org; www.drada.org
- effectivechildtherapy.com: The MacArthur Foundation is supporting a project to ensure broader dissemination of information about evidence-based treatments for children with mental illness and to support broader implementation of these treatments. www.effectivechildtherapy.com
- Families for Depression Awareness: created to support family members or friends who are caregivers to adults and children with depression and related mood disorders, and aims to help them recognize and manage these illnesses. www.familyaware.org
- Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health: is a national family-run organization dedicated exclusively to helping children with mental health needs and their families achieve a better quality of life by supporting and fostering a strong educational and activist network. www.ffcmh.org
- healthyplace.com: self-described as the "largest consumer mental health site on the internet," offers numerous resources and posts current developments in the field of pharmacology and treatment for adolescents with mental illness. www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression.com
- Independent Educational Consultants Association: a professional association of full-time educational consultants offering guidance and referrals. www.iecaonline.org
- The Infinite Mind: Public radio's national health and science program produced by Lichtenstein Creative Media. The weekly radio series focuses on all aspects of mental health, neuroscience, access to care, treatment advances and the mind/body connection. http://lcmedia.com/mindprgm.htm
- MindZone: Cope, Care, Deal: A mental health website for teens, developed and funded by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, this interactive and age-appropriate site offers direct guidance for struggling teens. www.copecaredeal.org
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) - Child and Adolescent Action Center: the nation's largest grassroots, self-help and family advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses. NAMI offers wide variety of resources including NAMI's quarterly publication, NAMI Beginnings, addressing issues related to children and youth with mental illness. www.nami.org
- NARSAD, The Mental Health Research Association: an independent, non-profit organization that raises and distributes funds for scientific research on psychiatric brain disorders, committed to finding the causes, improved treatments and cures for mental health disorders. www.narsad.org
- National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs: a national resource for programs and professionals assisting young people with emotional and behavioral problems. Web site provides a current directory of programs and schools. www.natsap.org
- National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH): conducts research into mental illness and is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, offering pamphlets and literature about adolescent depression. www.nimh.nih.gov
- National Hopeline Network: at 1 800 SUICIDE (1 800 784 2433) offers a national network of 162 certified crisis centers operating throughout the U.S twenty-four hours a day. It is a program of the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, which publishes Preventing Suicide: The National Journal. www.hopeline.com
- National Mental Health Association (NMHA): a national advocacy, education and support organization working to address the needs of people with mental health related needs and mental illnesses. Website contains valuable references and a database by region of mental health practitioners. www.nmha.org NMHA also features Mpower - Musicians for Mental Health, a website specifically targeted to teens and young adults and offers good resources for college students and administrators at: www.mpower.org
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: providing immediate assistance to individuals in suicidal crisis by connecting them to the nearest available suicide prevention and mental health service provider through a toll-free telephone number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It is the only national suicide prevention and intervention telephone resource funded by the Federal Government. www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- New York University Child Study Center: AboutOurKids AboutOurKids library offers a web-based resource guide to the NYU Child Study Center offering articles and publications developed by the faculty for families and parents of depressed children. www.aboutourkids.org
- Nostigma.org: National Mental Health Awareness Campaign is a nationwide nonpartisan public education campaign offering a youth outreach program of speakers and events. www.nostigma.org
- ParentsMedGuide: The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in collaboration with child mental health organizations, online website dedicated to helping patients, families, and physicians make informed decisions about obtaining and administering the most appropriate care for a child or young person with depression. www.parentsmedguide.org
- SafeYouth.org: The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center is a "one-stop shop" for information on youth violence prevention, including suicide and self-harm, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other Federal agencies. 1-866-SAFEYOUTH. www.safeyouth.org
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS): the Federal Government's comprehensive source for child, adolescent and family resources.
- Suicide Prevention Action Networks: SPAN USA affiliates and volunteer organizers of all ages work to promote and advance suicide prevention. Community Organizers work to raise awareness about suicide in their communities and communicate with their local, state and federal policy makers to advocate for suicide prevention. www.spanusa.org
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center: SPRC provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. www.sprc.org
- TeenScreen®: TeenScreen® Program and the Positive Action for Teen Health (PATH) initiative creates partnerships with communities across the nation to implement early-identification programs for suicide and mental illness and promotes the benefits of mental health screening for adolescents nationwide. www.teenscreen.org
- ULifeline.org: an online behavioral support system for young adults created by the Jed Foundation and offering college-age students with a links to their respective colleges' mental health centers. www.ulifeline.org
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS - formerly HCFA): CMS administers the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) programs for children with mental illnesses. www.cms.hhs.gov
- Wilderness Therapy Programs: a free listing of wilderness programs, consumer protection resources, and referral assistance for parents and families. www.wildernessprograms.org
- Woodbury Reports: Lon Woodbury, independent educational consultant, does a thorough job of tracking residential treatment programs for troubled youth on his website. Woodbury Reports also offers commentary and advice via a free email newsletter. www.strugglingteens.com
- YellowRibbon.org: a web and community-based comprehensive suicide prevention program offering teens peer to peer advice on-line (www.teenadviceonline.org) through a team of non-professionals, ages 13 and older. wwww.yellowribbon.org
- Youth America Hotline: affiliated with the National Hopeline Network, operates the Youth America Hotline at 1 877 968 8454, offering trained, teen-to-teen peer crisis counseling. www.youthline.org