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Preventing Depression and Mental Health Issues in Preteens
-- Lessons for Home and School
Between 7 million and 12 million American youth suffer
from mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders at any given time,
according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
At an event on Feb. 23, 2009, sponsored by The Preteen Alliance, Kaiser
Permanente and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, two expert speakers
discussed the intricacies of preteen depression, and reviewed the warning
signs that parents, providers, and educators should look for.
Stanford psychiatrist Frances Wren, MD, discussed warning
signs of depression and other mental health issues, and reviewed research
about early intervention programs. Dr. Wren is assistant professor of
child and adolescent psychiatry and director of the Child and Adolescent
Depression Clinic at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Dr. Wren's sub-specialities
include mood and anxiety disorders. One of the core goals of Dr. Wren’s
academic work is to improve clinical outcomes and access to effective
care for depressed and anxious children and adolescents.
Shashank Joshi, MD, also a psychiatrist at Stanford,
addressed what role schools can play when dealing with preteen depression
and reviewed screening tools that have proven effective. Dr. Joshi is
director of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Research Program at
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. He also works with the School Mental
Health Consultation Service, partnering with local school districts and
nonprofits to serve children with developmental disabilities.
Thank you to everyone who attended this event. If you haven't already,
sign-up to receive advance notice of all Alliance events.
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