Mental Health and Transitional Age Youth:
A Curriculum For Clinicians and Trainees
A product of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s
Transitional Age Youth/College Student Mental Health Committee
Curriculum editors:
Jessica Moore - jessica.moore@utsouthwestern.edu
Ellen House - ellen.house@uga.edu
Young adults have the highest prevalence of mental health disorders of any age group: half of mental health disorders start in adolescence, and three quarters begin by the age of 25 1. Caring for transitional age youth (TAY) requires particular attention to development, family systems, pediatric psychopathology and specialized systems of care; however, practicing clinicians and learners may not have access to training to adequately support this unique patient population.
The Transitional Age Youth/College Student Mental Health Committee has designed a 14-module curriculum targeted to residency training programs (general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatrics, family medicine, and other primary care specialties), medical schools, and individual practitioners to educate learners on the foundational background, mental health concerns, specific needs, and provision of care for TAY.
The curriculum is designed as a series of interactive didactic presentations that can be delivered to trainees over the course of a year or reviewed individually. If the full curriculum is presented, we recommend completing the foundation modules in the order listed below before moving onto other topics and clinical concerns. Each presentation includes “knowledge check” questions to allow programs to meet ACGME requirements, and includes resources and references for additional learning.