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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction
This brochure describes changes in the brain that occur during the teen years, and the significance of this stage of development.
Tunnels and Cliffs: A Guide for Workforce Development Practitioners and Policymakers Serving Youth with Mental Health Needs
This guide provides practical information and resources for youth service professionals. In addition, it provides policymakers, from the program to the state level, with information to help them address system and policy obstacles in order to improve service delivery systems for youth with mental health needs.
Boys More Likely to Have Antipsychotics Prescribed, Regardless of Age
New research funded by NIMH analyzed antipsychotic prescription data between 2006-2010. The data show that, in children ages 1-6, boys were more than twice as likely as girls to receive an antipsychotic prescription. This pattern held true for boys and girls ages 7-12, before narrowing for those ages 13-18, and finally becoming more comparable for young men and women ages 19-24.
Share with Youth: Teen Depression
Youth-serving professionals can use this resource, developed for teens, to educate young people about depression. It contains information about the signs and symptoms of depression, places to turn to for help, effective treatments for depression, steps teens can take to feel better, and the impact depression can have on relationships.
Director’s Blog: The Brain’s Critical Balance
Written by NIMH Director Thomas Insel, this blog post highlights one of early projects of the BRAIN Initiative, launched to support scientists as they conduct research on the brain, consciousness, and behavior. This project involves scientists at NIMH and the University of Maryland who are trying to understand how the activity of individual neurons integrates into larger patterns of brain activity
Share With Youth: Stay Informed — It Could Save A Life
CDC shares the risk and protective factors, warning signs, and sources of help for suicide.
Webinar Recording: Bullying Prevention and Suicide Prevention for Schools
The recording is now available for the webinar, Bullying Prevention and Suicide Prevention for Schools: A Digital Approach From SAMHSA, presented by SAMHSA and the American School Health Association. The webinar provided an overview of the risk and impact of bullying and suicide in school-aged children and highlighted the connection between these public health issues and the "whole child" concept. The webinar also showcased SAMHSA's mobile applications, KnowBullying and Suicide Safe, and other key tools to promote bullying prevention and suicide prevention in schools.
QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years with Diagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), By Race and Hispanic Ethnicity — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 1997–2014
This Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report illustrates the trends in ADHD diagnosis among children and adolescents, ages 5-17, between 1997 and 2014. Results show that the percentage of young people overall with diagnosed ADHD increased significantly among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic children, while Hispanic children were the least likely to have diagnosed ADHD
Report: Racial and Gender Disparities in Suicide Among Young Adults
Using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System, this report examines suicide rates and methods among young adults aged 18–24, by sex and race and Hispanic origin. Results show that young adult males were more likely than young adult females to commit suicide across racial and ethnic groups. The suicide rate was highest among the American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) population, and likely to be underreported. Non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white young adults were most likely to use firearms, followed by suffocation. Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander (API), and AI/AN young adults were most likely to use suffocation, followed by firearms.
Recent Event: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
This Twitter chat featured Dr. Ellen Leibenluft, Chair of the Section on Bipolar Spectrum Disorder and expert on severe irritability in children, who answered questions on disruptive mood dysregulation disorder submitted by Twitter users.
Resource: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
This web portal provides information on mental health conditions and disorders among children and teens, including warning signs, latest news, videos, hotlines, and clinical trials.
Report: Testing Interpretation Bias Training (IBT)
This report describes a new, large-scale study that will test IBT, a computer game designed to diminish the tendency of children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) to view ambiguous faces as angry. This study will also test cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with IBT in an effort to establish the first non-drug interventions for those with DMDD.
Report: Prevalence of Parent-Reported Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Diagnosis and Associated Treatment Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2016
This study examines survey data from the National Survey of Children’s Health to estimate the prevalence of ADHD diagnosis and treatment. The results indicate that, as of 2016, 6.1 million children aged 2-17 years living in the U.S. had been diagnosed with ADHD, which is similar to previous estimates. Almost two thirds were taking medication, slightly less than half had received behavioral treatment in the past year, and nearly one fourth had received neither treatment.
Depression and College Students
This webpage provides answers to college students’ questions about depression. It addresses the types, signs and symptoms, and treatment of depression, as well as co-occurring disorders and where to find help. The webpage also features information on suicide, including the warning signs and what a person should do if they or someone they care about is considering suicide.
2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Results
The 2019 YRBS results present a promising picture for some behaviors and experiences among high school students; however, other areas reveal that teens are still engaging in behaviors that put them at risk. While these health risk behaviors vary by sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and grade, the 2019 YRBS results show that there is more work to do to help all teens create lifelong healthy behaviors.