The Use of the MIND Screener, a Computerized Assessment of Mental Health Treatment Needs, in a Public School District

Although many discuss the importance of early screening, few children and adolescents with mental health treatment needs are identified. The Mental Illness Needs Detection (MIND) Screener, a computer-based self-report measure of mental health treatment needs was developed to identify and assess for these needs efficiently in schools and other community-based settings. In this study, 394 students in a North Florida school district completed screening measures. Principals and local mental health treatment providers completed surveys regarding current identification processes for children in this community. The internal consistency of the MIND was supported with reliability analyses ( α = .88) and the good-fit of a one-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFI = .91, TLI = .90). The MIND scales moderately to highly correlated with another commonly used measure, supporting its validity ( r values of .51 to .80). The MIND demonstrated precision through its sensitivity (83%), specificity (63%), and AUC values (.70). Utility of the MIND was also supported with school leadership reporting more satisfaction with the MIND than other previous methods in place. Overall, findings indicate promise for using the MIND in schools to screen children early for mental health treatment needs. It addressed many of the shortcomings of other measures and methods of screenings by assessing for a variety of symptoms, being immediately computer scored, and utilizing self-report.