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First‐of‐its‐kind MH screener launched in South Carolina
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.32600
Subject(s) - south carolina , launched , mental health , state (computer science) , psychology , political science , psychiatry , engineering , public administration , computer science , algorithm , electrical engineering
The South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) launched an online mental health screening available to everyone in the state, WBTW reported Nov. 12. Troubling suicide attempt statistics led the department to create the screening and make it widely available, said Jennifer Butler, program director for the Office of Suicide Prevention. “We're the first state to open it to all of our residents,” Butler explained. “In other cases, you might have seen a screener that was only accessible to a university and their students or a hospital and their staff members.” The screening is free, and once answers are submitted, an SCDMH staff member will contact individuals with a personalized response to your submission to help them find mental health resources in their community that are often free. South Carolina is one of a few states that collects suicide attempt data, something Butler says is key in turning South Carolina into a “zero‐suicide” state. “We want to be able to talk to those who survived a suicide attempt,” Butler said. “Number one, to talk about and learn what led to that attempt and the factors going on, but also what saved them.”