Columbia University's TeenScreen Program Praises Sen. Smith's Efforts to Save Young Lives through Suicide Prevention Programs 7/9/2004
From: Adrianna Montague-Gray of Columbia University, 646-328-4421 NEW YORK, July 9 -- Following is a statement of Laurie Flynn, director of the Carmel Hill Center at Columbia University's Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, regarding Sen. Smith's efforts to save young lives through suicide prevention programs: "Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.2634, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, an historic bill that could save the lives of countless young people by funding youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies. "We commend Senator Gordon Smith for his courage in speaking so openly about his personal family tragedy, and praise his efforts to help young people at risk for suicide. By making teens' mental health a national priority, Senator Smith is raising awareness about an issue that is all too often overlooked or hidden. Approximately 750,000 teens in the United States suffer from depressionsome so seriously it leads to suicide, the third leading cause of teenage death. Only a third of teens at risk for suicide and a fifth of those with depression receive treatment. "This legislation would help communities, universities and schools throughout the country establish TeenScreen(r) early detection programs, as recommended by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. "We applaud the U.S. Senate for passing this important legislation and urge the U.S. House of Representatives to do so as well. We also strongly urge President Bush to sign this legislation into law." ------ The TeenScreen(r) Program, which helps identify young people suffering from mental illness and links them to treatment, relies on tools developed over more than a decade of research at Columbia University led by David Shaffer, M.D., director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Screening and the TeenScreen(r) Program have been endorsed by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and more than 20 national health, education, religious and social service groups. The program is currently operating in 36 states. For more information, visit http://www.teenscreen.org. |