In the early days of youth ministry enthusiasm, love for God and kids and an eagerness to tackle anything were the makings of a well-loved youth leader. The skills necessary to plan and coordinate events, build solid relationships with youth and work with church staff and parents came piece by piece as what began as a fun, first job gradually became a career as a professional youth minister. However, to go the distance as a well-rounded youth ministry expert requires the concerted effort to acquire the knowledge to handle the difficult situations that ministry regularly presents. Professional youth ministers whose career goal is to finish well strive to gain skill in helping youth and their families through some of life's most difficult challenges. Few such situations are quite as hard as knowing how to minister to youth who struggle with mental illness.

Professional youth ministers regularly teach kids to handle peer pressure, how to relate to others, how to apply Scripture to their daily lives and how to grow in Christ.

So how can you make a difference for that fraction of teenagers for whom life takes a sudden and frightening detour into mental illness? According to the 1999 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on Mental Health, 3 percnet of youth will demonstrate the first symptoms of a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder between the ages 16 and 24. Is there anything you can do for these adolescents?

According to licensed psychologist Chris Amenson, Ph.D., youth ministers can have a lifelong impact in these most challenging circumstances. Amenson is an expert in the early detection and treatment of serious mental illness. He is the Faculty Chair of Pacific Clinics' Training Institute, southern California's largest non-profit provider of mental health services to children and youth. He leads ongoing training for Pacific Clinics' clinical staff who work with more than 13,000 clients each year.

"In countries such as Australia, Sweden and England, everyone who works with youth is required to be certified in recognizing the early signs of serious mental illness," Amenson says. "Those youth identified are referred for further screening by qualified mental health professionals." Ninety percent of the time there is nothing out of the ordinary in these identified youth; for the 10 percent who are found to have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, early treatment literally changes the outcome of their disease for the better.

"Without early treatment, the disease causes significant damage to the brain. It's like the brain eats away at itself, rather like an auto-immune disorder," he said. Recent research has demonstrated that within the first five years of the disease's onset, the proper medication literally stops the progression of the illness.

"Fifteen years ago, I taught that there was nothing that could be done to prevent the predicable outcomes caused by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," Amenson says. "All that has changed. The key is early diagnosis." Youth ministers are uniquely positioned to recognize the early warnings of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Their close relationship and ministry with late adolescents offers an excellent opportunity to spot a developing disease.