Evaluation of a teaching package designed to improve teachers' recognitionof depressed pupils - a pilot study

This pilot study evaluated the impact of a teaching package for school staf f on their ability to recognize depressed pupils within a year group in the ir school. Sixteen teachers were tested before and after training on their ability to identify depressed pupils in that year. The pupils were screened using a 2-stage procedure to determine caseness for Major Depressive Disor der (MDD). After training, teachers felt more confidant about their ability to recognize depressed pupils but this was not able to be statistically ve rified because of small teachers numbers. This suggests a promising way for ward in recognizing depression in the community. (C) 2000 The Association f or Professionals in Services for Adolescents.