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For Information Contact:
Tara Burkholder
Manager, Marketing and Communications
(703) 907-8516
tburkholder@psych.org

For Immediate Release:
October 30, 2006

Mental Health Education Program to be Implemented in School Communities Nationwide
ARLINGTON, Va., October 30 -- The American Psychiatric Foundation today announced that it will collaborate with school communities around the country to implement its Typical or Troubled?™ School Mental Health Education Program. The program is designed to encourage and equip teachers, coaches and other adults who work closely with teens to notice the warning signs of mental health problems and refer students for help in addressing these issues.

The Typical or Troubled?™ School Mental Health Education program will be implemented by 17 nonprofit organizations, schools and school districts in a total of 73 high schools during the 2006-2007 school year. More than 4,000 teachers and other school personnel are expected to participate in the program, which includes in-service training conducted by school mental health staff in collaboration with mental health professionals from their local communities. All 17 sites will utilize the Typical or Troubled?™ training module that was developed in 2004 by the foundation during a pilot phase in Colorado. Small grants were awarded to 16 of the sites to defer the cost of implementing the program.

"We are very pleased to offer this outstanding educational program to these school communities," said Altha J. Stewart, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Foundation. "By training school personnel about the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, we can encourage early recognition and help teenagers in need obtain appropriate treatment."

The American Psychiatric Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association. The mission of the foundation is to advance public understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated. For more information, please visit the foundation's Web site at www.psychfoundation.org.

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