Helping teens with mental illness

A growing number of states are looking for ways to assess and treat the mental health problems of children in the juvenile justice system.  The newest report comes from the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice at the Berkeley School of Law in California.  An estimated 40 to 70 percent of teens in California’s juvenile justice system have mental health disorders and the numbers are rising.  Researchers recommend some practical strategies:

Better definitions of mental health problems linking diagnosis with treatment options across the system
Proven screening and assessment tools
Outcome-based treatment programs