Lesson 1When to refer and collaborative care models: criteria for urgent psychiatric referral, outpatient therapy referral, collaborative care integration with school and community resourcesExplains when for urgent, regular, or special referrals, sets out team care models joining clinic, mind health experts, school, and community help, with steps for shared plans and talks.
Red flags requiring urgent psychiatric referralIndications for routine therapy referralDesigning shared care plans with specialistsWorking with school-based mental health teamsPartnering with community and youth servicesLesson 2Follow-up, documentation, and safety planning: follow-up intervals, relapse prevention, documentation templates, crisis resource planningCovers planning check-in visits, watching signs and daily life, noting checks and plans, making personal safety plans, and giving crisis help and ways to stop relapses for teens and families.
Setting follow-up intervals by risk levelTracking symptoms with brief rating scalesKey elements of clear clinical documentationDeveloping written safety plans with teensCrisis lines, apps, and local emergency optionsRelapse prevention and early warning signsLesson 3Focused psychosocial history: symptom onset, sleep, appetite, concentration, school functioning, relationships, substance use, family history of mental illness or suicideGuides taking focused mind and social history, covering when signs start, sleep, eating, focus, school work, friends, bad experiences, substances, and family mind illness or self-harm history for diagnosis and risk.
Clarifying symptom onset, duration, and triggersAssessing sleep, appetite, and energy changesSchool performance, attendance, and bullyingPeer, family, and online relationship stressorsScreening for substance use and risky behaviorsFamily history of mental illness and suicideLesson 4Epidemiology and how presentations differ by age and sex, common comorbidities (substance use, ADHD)Reviews how common teen worry and sadness is, how signs change by age and boy-girl, and links with focus issues, substances, and others to guide checks and early help in practice.
Prevalence and global burden in adolescentsAge-specific symptom patterns 12–14 vs 15–18Sex differences in presentation and help-seekingOverlap with ADHD and learning disordersLinks with substance use and risk behaviorsLesson 5Validated screening tools and administration: PHQ-A/PHQ-9 modified for adolescents, GAD-7, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), usage and scoringCovers picking and using PHQ-A, teen PHQ-9, GAD-7, and C-SSRS, including scores, meanings, culture points, and putting results into decisions and talks with families.
Choosing tools for anxiety versus depressionAdministering PHQ-A and teen PHQ-9Using and interpreting the GAD-7 in teensColumbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale basicsScoring, cutoffs, and false positive handlingCommunicating results to adolescents and parentsLesson 6Pharmacologic strategies and monitoring: SSRIs with evidence in adolescents (fluoxetine, escitalopram), dosing principles, side effect monitoring, black-box concerns and informed consentReviews proven SSRI use in teens, indications, picking medicine, doses and increases, watching side effects and self-harm risks, warning talks, and shared choices with youth and carers.
When to start medication versus wait or referChoosing between fluoxetine and escitalopramStarting doses, titration, and trial durationMonitoring side effects and activationDiscussing black-box warnings and consentCombining SSRIs with psychotherapy effectivelyLesson 7Initial nonpharmacologic management: cognitive behavioral therapy fundamentals, brief behavioral interventions in primary care, parental involvement and school liaisonLooks at first non-drug ways, like CBT basics, short helps in clinics, motivation tricks, mind education, and working with parents, schools, and community supports.
Explaining diagnosis and normalizing help-seekingCore CBT concepts for anxiety and depressionBrief behavioral strategies in short visitsEngaging parents as therapeutic partnersCoordinating with school counselors and staffWhen to add structured psychotherapy referralLesson 8Safety assessment and suicide risk triage: direct questions about self-harm, plans, means, protective factors, when to enact emergency protocolsDetails organised self-harm risk checks, direct questions on thoughts, plans, ways, good factors, risk levels, and when to start emergency or higher care paths.
Creating a safe, private interview settingDirect questions on ideation, intent, and plansAssessing access to means and recent behaviorsEvaluating protective and buffering factorsRisk stratification and triage decisionsIndications for emergency referral or hold
