High School Mental Health Survey: Assessment of a Mental Health Screen

Objective: To estimate the size of the population in need of psychiatric diagnostic assessment, based on the 12-month period prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in one local high school, and to evaluate the validity of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Predictive Scales 8 (DPS-8) screen against the National Institute of Mental Health—Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV (NIMH-DISC-IV) for any diagnosis. Method: This 2-stage cross-sectional study included high school students aged 13 to 19 years. In the first stage, we administered the DPS-8 screen. In the second stage, we used the NIMH-DISC-IV. Prevalence and validity were estimated using the Bayesian formula owing to the unequal subsample fractions in the second stage. Results: A total of 222 students participated in the first stage screen. Of these, 153 completed the second stage NIMH-DISC-IV. In this sample, the prevalence for anxiety disorders was 17%, behaviour disorders was 11%, and depressive disorders was 1%. The overall prevalence of any one of these disorders was 29%. The sensitivity of the DPS-8 screen was 53.4%, specificity was 87.6%, the positive predictive value was 63.8%, and the negative predictive value was 82%. The overall accuracy of the screen was 77%. Conclusion: This study highlights some of the difficulties in conducting psychiatric research in a high school population. Despite the difficulties, the DPS-8 screen, if used judiciously by school counsellors, may be helpful in identifying students needing further comprehensive psychiatric assessment.