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Calendar of Events
Saturday, 4/12/08 – Chicago, IL

Become a mental health champion & join Team MHAI for our 21st Annual Gold Bell Gala at the Grand Piazza on Taylor Street–home of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, or to make your reservation, contact Jennifer Okonma ext. 27 or at jokonma@mhai.org.



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MHAI needs your help–Become a volunteer and a mental health champion.

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Welcome to Mental Health America of Illinois

Mental Health America of Illinois (MHAI), in partnership with the Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO), is proud to bring the Columbia University TeenScreen program to the Chicagoland area.  TeenScreen is a community outreach, prevention and intervention program designed to reduce new incidences of major depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse among children and adolescents.  Currently being implemented at over 350 sites in 43 states, TeenScreen is recognized by the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health as a model program. Its mission is supported by 34 national organizations including the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Federation of Teachers.

The ultimate goal of the Columbia University TeenScreen® Program is to ensure that all parents are offered the opportunity for their teens to receive a voluntary mental health check-up. Screening requires parental consent, as well as youth consent. All the results are confidential. Mental health screening finds youth with depression and other emotional disorders before they fall behind in school, end up in serious trouble or worst of all end their lives.

The TeenScreen Program:

  • Educates youth about mental health and mental health problems;

  • Identifies children and adolescents who are at risk for developing major depression, anxiety disorders and/or substance abuse through a relatively quick, confidential and valid mental health screening (with active parental permission); and

  • Refers those who screen positive to a community mental health service provider for a more complete evaluation and clinical services, if warranted.

How Does TeenScreen Work?

The three step screening process includes:

Step One: Teens complete a 10-minute questionnaire about vision, hearing and dental problems, symptoms of depression and anxiety, suicidal thinking and behavior and use of drugs and alcohol.

Step Two: Teens whose answers reveal a potential problem and/or ask for help then meet with a trained mental health professional in private to determine if further evaluation would be helpful. Teens whose answers show they probably do not need help meet briefly with other program staff to answer any questions they may have about the program and to give them the opportunity to ask for help with any other concerns the screening did not cover.

Step Three: The teen’s parents are contacted by program staff only if the teen meets with a mental health professional and the professional recommends further evaluation for the teen. Program staff will share the overall results and discuss ways the family can get help for their son or daughter, if the parents wish to follow-up with additional services.

For more information about any of the services or programs provided under MHAI’s CHANGING MINDS Campaign, please contact Liz Gunnar, Program Director, Public Education and Disaster Mental Health, at ext. 23, or at lgunnar@mhai.org.
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