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UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) is leading a statewide collaboration with other academic medical centers to research depression in Texas youth.
More than 1,000 kids from Dallas to the Rio Grande Valley are part of the study, to identify and find the best treatment options over time.
Across the United States, suicide rates have increased for people ages 10-24 since about 2000, according to data from the (CDC). The CDC also reported in 2021, suicide was the among people 10-24.
UTSW psychiatry professor leads the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care. He said the collaborative recently showing almost half of Texas kids being treated for depression have attempted suicide at least once in their life.
鈥淭his study clearly shows one important thing: by the time someone needs to see a child psychiatrist, the illness is quite severe and significant,鈥� Trivedi said.
Trivedi said he and other researchers found youth who had attempted suicide had more trauma events and substance use than kids who didn鈥檛. These youth also had 鈥減oorer school adjustment, fewer social activities, and poor peer relationships,鈥� which Trivedi said pointed to the importance of mental health support in academic settings.
鈥淲e need to become much more vigilant in schools, in primary care pediatric practices, [to] identify these kids much earlier so we can intervene before they get to this severe state,鈥� he said.
Dr. Betsy Kennard, a professor of psychiatry at UTSW and Children鈥檚 Health, said there are interventions that help lessen depression symptoms and thoughts of suicide. Two types of therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, are frequently .
Kennard said the hospital system has a program called , which combines group therapy, family therapy and individual therapy for kids who had been hospitalized for a suicide attempt.
鈥淸It鈥檚] teaching them to monitor both their thoughts and their behaviors, how to manage their mood, how families can talk about suicide in the home, and how families can improve communication in general,鈥� she said.
But often, said Kennard, people just don鈥檛 know what options are out there to help their kids.
鈥淲e can treat these kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey can get better. There鈥檚 a lot of hope. But I think families and children sometimes feel like they鈥檙e suffering alone.鈥�
She recommends parents make conversations about emotions a regular part of their interactions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to talk about, particularly if you see your child is struggling鈥攎aybe they鈥檝e made changes in behavior, they鈥檝e left their friend groups, they鈥檝e lost interest in activities,鈥� Kennard said.
Kennard said the collaboration鈥檚 goal is to follow patients over the course of their treatment, identify what interventions work best, and share that knowledge across the state鈥檚 academic centers. She said it鈥檚 ultimately about improving access to mental health services and lowering the rate of depression and suicide among Texas youth.
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