SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

Mental Illness

General Information | Links, Other Resources
Programming Resource | Research

 General Information

• National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
  / Description: The NMHA addresses all aspects of mental health and illness. Their Web site contains materials about the organization and their activities. It also has information about current mental health issues and resources such as fact sheets about various types of mental illness.

• 11 Questions to Ask Before Psychiatric Hospitalization of Your Child or Adolescent
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2003)
  Description: The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has provided this brief guide for parents that may have been asked to admit their child or adolescent into psychiatric care. Several important questions are listed that should be asked before making any final decisions regarding a child's inpatient psychiatric treatment.

• Anxiety Disorders
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This fact sheet explains anxiety disorders in children and describes common symptoms of anxiety disorders. Resources for assistance and further information are provided.

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  / Publisher: National Institute of Mental Health (2003)
  Description: The article describes the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with information on getting help and coping. "It is difficult for children with ADHD to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between three to five percent of children have ADHD.

• Being prepared - Know When to Seek Help for Your Child
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (September 1999)
  Description: This fact sheet offers a list of times when you should seek professional help for your child. There are seperate lists for young children and pre-adolescents or adolescents. This publication is also available in Spanish as "Estar Preparando - Sepa Cuando Buscar Ayuda Paro su Hijo/Hija."

• Bipolar Disorder and Children
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This fact sheet explains some of the possible signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder in children. It includes information on what parents and caregivers should do and where to seek help.

• Caring for Every Child
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Information Center
  Description: This is the Web site for the Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign. Visit this site to learn more about the campaign, download a children's coloring book, view publications about children's mental health, and find related resources.

• Depression and Children
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: According to this fact sheet, children may show a number of symptoms of depression. Information about causes and treatment is also included.

• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
  / Description: The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center supports the implementation of the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through five) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.

• National Mental Health Information Center
  / Publisher: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Description: This Web site is a source of mental health information for the general public. Use this site to access mental health publications, learn about various mental health campaigns, locate mental health services in your area, and find national hotline numbers. Some information is available in Spanish.

• Psychiatric Medication for Children and Adolescents Part I - How Medications are Used
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (November 1999)
  Description: This fact sheet is part one of a three-part series on the use of psychiatric medication for children. This publication gives an introduction to the topic and a list of problems for which medication might be prescribed to children. This publication is also available in Spanish as "Medicamentos Siquiatricos para Ninos y Adolescentes Parte I --Como se Usan los Medicamentos."

• Psychiatric Medication for Children and Adolescents Part II - Types of Medications
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (February 2000)
  Description: This fact sheet is part two of a three-part series on the use of psychiatric medication for children. This publication describes various types of medications which might be prescribed to children. This publication is also available in Spanish as "Medicamentos Siquiatricos para Ninos y Adolescentes Parte II --Clases de Medicamentos."

• Psychiatric Medication for Children and Adolescents Part III - Questions to Ask
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (March 2001)
  Description: This fact sheet is part three of a three-part series on the use of psychiatric medication for children. This publication has a list of questions for parents to ask in order to better understand their child's medication. This publication is also available in Spanish as "Medicamentos Siquiatricos para Ninos y Adolescentes Parte III --Preguntas Acerca de Ellos."

• Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children
  / Publisher: Portland State University (2003)
  Description: This site provides information for promoting effective services for families and their children with emotional, behavioral or mental health disorders.
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• Schizophrenia in Children   / Language: English
  Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This fact sheet discusses early warning signs and treatment of scizophrenia in children.

• The Depressed Child
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2003)
  Description: The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Pyschiatry has provided this piece on depression in children because the thought of depression occurring outside of adulthood or teenage years is often overlooked. Young children are not exempt of suffering from depression. This short piece provides symptoms to look for and options for parents that have a depressed child.

• The Research and Training Center for Children
  / Publisher: Univeristy of Southern Florida Mental Health Institute (2003)
  Description: The Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health at USF's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute was initiated in 1984 to address the need for improved services and outcomes for children with serious emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families. This site provides links to other resources and publications related to enhancing an understanding of policy development and implementation as it pertains to improving outcomes for children with emotional disturbances and their families.

• The Sibling Support Project
  / Publisher: The Arc
  Description: The Sibling Support Project was developed to serve the interests of over six million brothers and sisters of people with special health, mental health, and developmental needs. Use this site to find a workshop in your area and to learn more about the project.

• Treatment of Children with Mental Disorders
  / Publisher: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2000)
  Description: This publication is a booklet with answers to frequently asked questions about the treatment of mental disorders in children. It includes a medications chart for stimulant medication, antidepressants , antianxiety medications, antipsychotic medications, and mood stabilizing medications. Also available in PDF.

• Treatment of Children with Mental Disorders (PDF)
  / Publisher: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2000)
  Description: This publication is a booklet with answers to frequently asked questions about the treatment of mental disorders in children. It includes a medications chart for stimulant medication, antidepressants , antianxiety medications, antipsychotic medications, and mood stabilizing medications. Also available in HTML.

• What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This fact sheet offers suggestions for improving an often overlooked area of children's health - their mental health. A number of tips and information about when it may be time to seek additional help are provided.

• >What Parents Should Know About Treatment of Behavioral And Emotional Disorders in Preschool Children
  / Publisher: American Psychological Association
  Description: This article is intended to help parents of children with a possible emotional or behavioral disorder. It explains the diagnostic process, treatment options and discusses areas for further research.

• Your Child and Medication
  / Publisher: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2000)
  Description: This publication is a fact sheet for parents on medication used for treating mental health issues in children. It discusses proper use of medication for safety and the "off-label" use of medications.

 Links, Other Resources

• Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents - Resources
  / Publisher: Bipolar Significant Others
  Description: This Web page is a listing of resources related to bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. The types of resources included are organizations, Web sites, and books and articles.

• Child & Family Web Guide
  / Publisher: Tufts University
  Description: Links to information on parenting, health, mental health, development, education and child care.

• Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
  / Description: This is the Web site for the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, an advocacy agency for families of children with mental health needs. On this site you will find, policy information, publications and resources, and links to additional information.

 Programming Resource

• Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health
  / Publisher: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health at Georgetown University (2002)
  Description: "Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health is a two-volume set considering the mental health of children in a developmental context, presenting information on early recognition and intervention for specific mental health problems and mental disorders, and providing a tool kit with hands on tools for health professionals and families for use in screening, care management, and health education." You can order and preview the materials from this Web page.

• Conduct Disorders
  / Publisher: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2000)
  Description: A fact sheet for parents describing conduct disorders. Also available in Spanish as "Desordenes de la Conducta."

• Invisible ChildrenÂ’s Project
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This is the Web site of the Invisible Children's Project. This project was created for families in which one of the parents has a mental illness. A number of fact sheets are available for more information.

• Making Dollars Follow Sense: Financing Early Childhood Mental Health Services to Promote Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Young Children
  / Author: Johnson, Kay; Jane Knitzer; Roxane Kaufmann
  Publisher: National Center for Children in Poverty (2002)
  Description: "This policy paper highlights the most innovative approaches states and communities are currently using to finance early childhood mental health services and explores what else might be done to mix, match, and leverage all available resources. The focus is on prevention and early intervention services to not only help children directly, but equally important, to help their families and other caregivers address the social and emotional challenges children face."

• Mental Health Services for Children: An Overview
  / Author: Kenny, Holly; Leah Oliver; Julie Poppe
  Publisher: National Conference of State Legislatures Children's Policy Initiative (June 2002)
  Description: This report discusses state and public policy as it relates to mental health services for children. It includes information on background, funding, and strategies for providing care.

• National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
  / Publisher: Policy Research Associates
  Description: This is the Web site of the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. The purpose of the Center is to attend to the growing number of children in the juvenile justice system with mental health needs. On this site you will find information about their projects, publications, and on-line training and resources.

• National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health
  / Publisher: Georgetown University
  Description: The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health works in partnership with families and many other leaders across this country to reform services for children and adolescents who have, or are at risk for, mental health problems and their families. The TA Center is nationally recognized for its work assisting states and communities build systems of care. The site includes a number of publications geared toward professionals.

• The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
  / Description: The NAMI Web site promotes NAMI's mission of equitable services for people with severe mental illnesses. Sections on support, public policy, education and research are included. You can also visit the Spanish section of the site by a link on the home page.

 Research

• Children's Mental Health Statistics
  / Publisher: National Mental Health Association
  Description: This fact sheet offers statistics regarding common mental health disorders and their frequency in children.

• Data Trends: Summaries of Research on Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents and Their Families
  / Publisher: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children?s Mental Health
  Description: The Research and Training Center at Portland State University collaborates with the Research and Training Center at the University of South Florida to produce Data Trends, a series of one-page briefs addressing current themes, summarizing recent articles, or presenting new developments in the field of children's mental health.

• Most Drugs Prescribed for Children Are Primarily Studied on Adults
  / Publisher: Boston Globe (August 2003)
  Description: This article from the Boston Globe discusses a recent study which found that many medications prescribed to children have not been adequately tested for use on children. This can lead to medications being less effective than thought or to more dangerous safety problems.

• National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health
  / Publisher: Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
  Description: The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health (TA Center) works nationally in partnership with families and many other leaders to reform services for children and adolescents who have, or are at risk for, mental health problems and their families. Special areas of emphasis and expertise include strategic planning, leadership development, evaluation, interagency MIS, interagency collaboration, cultural competence, family partnerships, policy development, prevention and early intervention, managed care and financing.

• Report of the Surgeon General
  / Publisher: U.S. Surgeon General - Dept. of Health and Human Services (2000)
  Description: This report summarizes the findings of the Surgeon General's 2000 conference on children's mental health needs. It also outlines goals for improving services to these children and their families.

• Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health
  / Publisher: University of South Florida's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
  Description: This is the Web site for the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health The Center has conducts research and serves as a resource for other researchers, policy makers, administrators in the public system, and organizations representing parents, consumers, advocates, professional societies, and practitioners. Visit this site to learn more about research done at the Center and its annual conference.

• Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health
  / Publisher: Portland State University
  Description: This is the Web site of the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health. The purpose of the Center is promoting effective community-based, culturally competent, family-centered services for families and their children who are, or may be affected by mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. This site contains research related to children and families. You can also sign up for their free e-mail newsletter.