The Early Identification & Recognition Program is a new program offered by Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene to promote emotional wellness in children at an early age by conducting free emotional wellness screenings. It is a grant-funded program sponsored by the state Office of Mental Health.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, for consumers of all ages, early detection, assessment, and linkage with treatment and supports can prevent mental health problems from compounding and poor life outcomes from accumulating. Early intervention can have a significant impact on the lives of children and adults who experience mental health problems.
Today signifies National Depression Screening Day. An Emotional Health Screen is just a quick check-in between parent and child to ensure things are going "OK." Experts now know that identifying symptoms, stressors and emotional issues at an early age, the better the chances are for a quick recovery.
In July, the Journal of The American Medical Association published findings that "for the first time in more than 30 years, mental health conditions have displaced physical illnesses as the top five disabilities in children." Neal Halfon, M.D., Master of Public Health, director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities has suggested that "The conveyor belt [to adulthood] that we put our children on is moving much faster and at a much sharper incline than it used to ... And many kids don't have the capacity to hold on for dear life and make it to the top."
Children and youth ages 3 to 21 can be screened with the brief questionnaire. After the screen is complete, the Early Recognition Specialist will share the results with the family. If needed, options will be presented for coordination or linkage to services for the child (if needed). Referral is left up to the family.
The emotional wellness screen that is offered through this program is a brief questionnaire that can be filled out by someone who knows the child well (a parent, teacher, etc.). All screens are free and confidential. They are non-diagnostic (meaning they will not diagnose a child with a specific Mental Health condition). They will alert to an area(s) (such as: emotional symptoms or peer problems) that a child may benefit from having a more comprehensive assessment completed, or services the child may benefit from, or even just increasing the child's supports, or finding different activities in the community the child would be interested in to increase supports or self-esteem.
In a day where children face many social pressures, and negativity in the media, the screen serves as a nice check-in with you and your child to ensure they are coping with these issues in a healthy way.
Anyone (public or private) can make a referral to the Early Identification & Recognition Program by contacting, Briana J. Palmer, LMSW (Early Recognition specialist) at 269-8680.
In addition, in honor of National Depression Screening Day, Briana will be available to provide free and confidential screens for walk-ins today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jamestown Chautauqua County Mental Health Clinic, 200 E. Third St. Jamestown.
Also available will be Mental Health trainings, presentations and upcoming campaigns in an effort to increase community awareness of the importance of emotional well-being.
For more information, call 269-8680, fax 661-8343 or visit www.psychalive.org or www.nami.org.