Maintaining safety of the individual and others is critical in crisis settings. While there is no one widely acceptable and utilized assessment tool in this area, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a good place to start. They offer a Triage Tool designed to indicate potential danger of self and others, an Indicator for Violent Behavior, and a Danger Assessment Tool.
Suicide Risk Screening
Utilizing evidence-based screening tools are essential for assessing the severity and immediacy of suicide risk in crisis settings. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) is a six-item tool that assesses for the severity and intensity of ideation, behavior, and lethality. It can be administered by anyone and is able to be used in a variety of settings. A PDF version is available and has been translated into 150 different languages. For more on the C-SSRS by setting and user, the Columbia Lighthouse Project offers a wealth of information for use by various settings and personnel types.
Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Part of the APA’s 2023 Trends Report, this article highlights what providers are doing to address the youth mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by not just the COVID-19 pandemic, but growing concerns about social media, mass violence, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization.
California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative was announced in July 2021 with a $4.4B investment to enhance, expand and redesign the systems that support behavioral health for children and youth. The goal of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative is to reimagine mental health and emotional well-being for ALL children, youth, and families in California by delivering equitable, appropriate, timely and accessible behavioral health services and supports.
The State of Mental Health in America 2023
This report is a collection of data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia intended to provide a snapshot of mental health status among youth and young adults, including changes in prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care, as well as how changes in national data reflect the impact of legislation and policies.