Training Title:
Adolescent Depression and Suicide

Clock Hours: 1.5

Objectives:
At the completion of this course, participants will be able to: • Describe the prevalence of depression in adolescents as identified in the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health • Describe differences in prevalence based on gender, ethnicity and age • Describe the prevalence of suicide in adolescents • Identify at least two evidence-based psychosocial practices for the treatment of adolescents with depression • Describe the basic structural characteristics of providing any form of treatment that is critical for engaging adolescents in treatment

Description:
The goal of this course is to provide information about the prevalence of depression and suicide in adolescents and to present some of the evidence-based approaches to treating adolescents who are depressed, suicidal and/or at risk for suicide. Currently, it is generally accepted by many that the most efficacious treatment is a combination of SSRIs and a cognitive behavioral psychosocial treatment. There is much discussion in the literature about the safety risks associated with pharmacological treatments, the quality of the supporting research and whether a conservative approach to treatment might be to initiate treatment with an evidence-based psychosocial model, moving to pharmacological treatments if psychosocial approaches are ineffective. We will touch briefly on this discussion, but will focus on providing an overview of some of the evidence-based psychosocial treatments for adolescents with depression and/or suicidality. Note that most will be cognitive behavioral in nature since that is the more popular treatment today – albeit not the only evidence-based approach Keywords: Depression, suicide, adolescent, prevalence, cognitive behavior therapy, CBT, interpersonal therapy, IPT-A, Adolescent Coping with Depression Course, The ACTION Program, CARE, Emergency room Program, EBP, evidence-based practice, treatment, Skypek

Approval Bodies