EDC recognizes that mental health and well-being are the foundation for a productive, satisfying life. Our projects assist schools, health care professionals, and communities in addressing this issue, and stretch across the continuum from prevention to treatment. EDC also researches the relationship between mental health and other risk behaviors, such as substance abuse, violence, and suicide. Among our mental health programs is the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) which provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals in developing suicide prevention programs, interventions, and policies to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
TEACH-VIP is a comprehensive violence and injury prevention and control curriculum, developed by the World Health Organization and a global network of experts, covering a wide range of topics, designed to be delivered as face-to-face training. To make this curriculum more widely available, EDC created an instructional design approach for conversion of the face-to-face exercises and materials into an electronic, self-paced format with interactive lessons for the World Wide Web and CD-ROM.
EDC is working with the VA National Center for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), Women’s Health Sciences Division to develop print, video, and online training materials to support the national implementation of Cognitive Processing Therapy within the Veteran’s Health Administration.
EDC with leading emergency department doctors and nurses developed “Is Your Patient Suicidal?” a simple, quick checklist that is used in hundreds of hospitals across the country today.
As more military service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan with pressing mental health needs, the Department of Veterans Affairs and others are stepping up to assist.
A recent survey of principals from 25 countries revealed that school leaders estimate one in five students requires treatment or other mental health services to help them cope with the issues they face.
Supporting the growth and wellness of young children includes a focus on their social and emotional development.
This grant allows FSC to develop and disseminate an information pamphlet to help parents of children with bipolar disorder and related mental health problems. The four-page pamphlet will become part of a user-friendly toolkit that will help families understand the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children, its impact on children’s performance at home and in school, how to talk with their child’s school, and where to seek medical and other resources and services in the community.
CCHS will provide consultation and training to build the capacity of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus and community to implement effective early intervention strategies to reduce high-risk alcohol use by students. The purpose of project activities is to build a widening “net”—to design and implement a campus wide infrastructure, linked with community services—to increase the opportunities to identify, screen, and refer students in need of an intervention.
With school shootings, prescription drug abuse, childhood depression, and other signs of youth distress making headlines, schools are grappling with mental health issues in ways they never have before. As director of the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention at EDC, Deborah Haber helps districts across the country develop effective health programs and policies.
