Mental Health Education and Resources

Resouces, Agencies, Research

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Mandated Annual Mental Health Staff Training

Mental Health Education Links and Resources

Mental Health Mental Illness - what is the difference?

  • Mental Health: Mental health refers to a person's overall psychological and emotional well-being. It encompasses various aspects of life, including how individuals think, feel, and behave. Good mental health implies that a person can cope with daily stressors, maintain fulfilling relationships, and have a positive outlook on life. It involves factors such as emotional resilience, self-esteem, and the ability to adapt to challenges. Mental health is a continuum, ranging from optimal well-being to experiencing mild distress or struggling with certain issues.

    Mental Illness: Mental illness, on the other hand, refers to specific conditions that affect a person's mental health and disrupt their thoughts, feelings, behavior, or overall functioning. Mental illnesses are diagnosable medical conditions that can cause significant distress, impair daily functioning, and impact an individual's ability to lead a fulfilling life. Examples of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and others. Mental illnesses can vary in severity, duration, and the specific symptoms they produce.

    It's important to note that having a mental illness does not necessarily mean a person has poor mental health, and individuals can experience good mental health despite living with a mental illness. Seeking support, treatment, and practicing self-care are essential for maintaining and improving both mental health and managing mental illness.

Resources for Young People

  • If you’re in crisis, get immediate help: Call the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

    • Long Island Crisis Center Long Island Crisis Center provides 24/7, free, high quality, confidential and non-judgmental programs and services to support and empower Long Islanders at critical times in their lives.
    • How Right Now (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): Resources for coping with negative emotions and stress, talking to loved ones, and finding inspiration
    • Youth Engaged 4 Change: Opportunities for youth to make a difference in their lives and in the world around them
    • Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Children and Youth (National Academies of Medicine):  Tools for children, teens, and parents to learn how to cope with challenges
    • Mental Health Resource Center (JED Foundation): Information about common emotional health issues and how to overcome challenges
    • Youth Wellbeing Initiatives (National Council for Mental Wellbeing): Collection of initiatives to improve mental wellbeing in youth and young adults
    • Kids, Teens, and Young Adults (National Alliance on Mental Illness): Resources for young people to get mental health support
    • One Mind PsyberGuide: A guide to navigating mental health apps and digital technologies
    • FindTreatment.gov (SAMHSA): Information on substance use and mental health treatment
    • Trevor Project: Suicide prevention and crisis intervention resources for LGBTQ+ young people
    • AAKOMA Mental Health Resources (The AAKOMA Project): Resources to support the mental health of youth of color and their caregivers
    • Mental Health for Immigrants (Informed Immigrant): Tips for managing the mental health of yourself and others

Resources for Families

  • Health Research Institute/Pfeiffer Treatment Center
    Health Research Institute/Pfeiffer Treatment Center is a nonprofit clinical research and outpatient facility that specializes in non-drug therapies for cognitive and behavioral dysfunction – such as Autism, mood disorders, ADD/ADHD, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.  The website offers links to current research publications as well as information on how to become a patient or how to be involved in a clinical study.

    MEDLINEplus Mental Health
    NIH, National Library of Medicine

    Mental Health: The Surgeon General’s Report
    Contained in this report is a chapter on normal childhood development, risk factors and prevention, as well as an overview of mental disorders in children and adolescents including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression and suicide, anxiety, disruptive disorders, and eating disorders. Each section on specific disorders contains information on course, causes, treatments, and prevalence. The chapter ends with a discussion of service interventions.
    Surgeon General
    Executive Summary: Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. August 2001.

    The Report from the Surgeon General’s Conference on Child Mental Health

    The Mental Research Institute
    The site offers research on individual, family, and community interactions. There are also specific current research projects on relationship conflicts and teasing and bullying in the school environment.
    Contact:
    The Miami University (of Ohio) Center for School Based Mental Health Programs
    The center focuses on mental health initiatives in the Ohio public school system with an emphasis on primary prevention, education, intervention strategies, and treatment for children and adolescents with chronic mental health disorders.

    National Association of School Psychologists
    This association promotes development of psychologically healthy environments for youth by encouraging research based intervention programs aimed at prevention of problems and promotion of independence. The site includes position papers, recent press releases, and association publications.
    Contact:

    National Institute of Mental Health
    Includes publications, research fact sheets, results of clinical trials, information on specific mental disorders, up to date diagnosis and treatment information. Information specifically related to child and adolescent mental health through this institute at: www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/childmenu.cfm
    Contact:

    Mental Health America
    Mental Health America is a non-profit organization concerned with many aspects of mental health services and initiatives, aimed at improving overall mental health. The site contains program and advocacy resources, fact sheets, and a position statement index.

    New York State Department of Health
    School Health Program
    School-Based Health Centers Mental Health Work Group Final Report

     

    Research & Training Center for Children’s Mental Health

     

    Data Trends: Summaries of Current Research Findings in Cildren’s Mental Health Field
    Data Trends are produced to increase the dissemination of current research findings in the area of children’s mental health services. Available are summaries and news briefs with citation for the reader to retrieve the original document for further examination.

    SAMSHA: Children’s Mental Health

    The Search Institute
    The Search Institute is a non-profit organization endeavoring to advance the well being of children and adolescents through a framework of “40 Developmental Assets”, which include positive experiences, qualities, relationships, and opportunities. The site also includes articles and the online newsletter.

    Suicide Prevention Resource Center: After a suicide: A toolkit for schools
    This toolkit is designed to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide (or other death) in the school community. 2011.

    UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools (School Mental Health Project)
    This site contains information addressing mental health and psychosocial concerns of children and adolescents in research, theory, and practice. There are evaluations of school based mental health initiatives. There is also a free monthly on-line newsletter (called “ENEWS”), which may be subscribed to via the web site, and information on the center’s own publications.

    University of Maryland Center for School Mental Health
    The focus of this center is geared toward mental health providers and the organizers of school based mental health initiatives. There is also online access to the center newsletter and publications.