January 4, 2007 There has been a lot of misinformation shared
around the country about Mental Health Screening and the
TeenScreen program since the release of President Bush’s New
Freedom Commission report in 2003 that recognized the Columbia
University TeenScreen program as a model program. Recently the
New England Journal of Medicine published an article on Mental
Health Screening that discusses the merits of mental health
screening. The Columbia University TeenScreen Program is a
national mental health and suicide risk screening program for
youth. The goal of the National TeenScreen Program is to make
voluntary mental health check-ups available for all American
teens. TeenScreen works by assisting communities throughout the
nation with developing locally operated and sustained screening
programs for youth. Screening can take place in schools,
doctors’ offices, clinics, youth groups, shelters, and other
youth-serving organizations and settings. The study in the New
England Journal of Medicine is an examinat