A new, one-stop resource is now available for the thousands of parents and families in Rhode Island who have questions about children’s mental health issues or simply need guidance on how to navigate the state’s complicated mental health care system.

Bradley Hospital, the nation’s first psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents, and the Rhode Island Department of Health, with the generous support of Hasbro, Inc., have teamed up to publish the Rhode Island Parents’ Guide to Children’s Mental Health. It is a comprehensive “how to” guide for all parents, from those who simply need information about common children’s mental health disorders, like depression, to those who are looking for advocacy organizations and support groups to help them cope with a child’s diagnosis. The release of the guide coincides with Rhode Island Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and the national observance of Mental Health Month.

Available online at www.childrensmentalhealthguideri.org, the guide also helps parents better understand the complexities of the state’s mental health care system by mapping out the various components of the system, both public and private, and how they connect to each other.

In Rhode Island, nearly one in five children has mental health problems, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics. And according to the Surgeon General’s 2001 Conference on Children’s Mental Health, less than 20 percent of the estimated 14 million children and adolescents in the United States who have a psychiatric disorder receive treatment.

“We know that early invention is key to better outcomes, but many parents often don’t know where to turn when they think their child may have a mental illness,” said Daniel J. Wall, president and CEO, Bradley Hospital. “It is our hope that this guide will help remove some of the barriers to accessing children’s mental health services so that all families in Rhode Island can obtain the care they need for their children.”

“We recognize that the children’s mental health system in Rhode Island can be overwhelming for some families, especially when they have a child who is suffering from emotional or behavioral problems,” said David R. Gifford, MD, MPH, director of Health. “Our goal in creating this guide is to provide families with the support and information they need to better navigate the system.”

“Hasbro, Inc. is proud to partner with Bradley Hospital and the Department of Health to make this guide possible," said Karen Davis, vice president of community relations at Hasbro, Inc. “This guide will be a wonderful resource for parents and health care providers as it provides a wealth of important information never available before in such a comprehensive format.”

The Rhode Island Parents’ Guide to Children’s Mental Health, which will be distributed to family practitioners’ and pediatricians’ offices, community mental health centers, parent advocacy organizations, schools and libraries, also includes:

• Warning signs and symptoms of mental health issues
• Definitions, symptoms, and evaluation and treatment options of common mental health diagnoses
• Descriptions of different types of mental health care providers, organizations, programs, and services that can help parents with children’s mental health issues

More than 40 child and adolescent mental health professionals, advocates, educators, and parents from around the state contributed to this guide.