Intensive Outpatient Protocol for High Risk Suicidal Teens

Suicidal ideation and behavior are the primary reasons for emergency psychiatric care and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in this country. These expensive contacts with the health care system effectively address acute suicidality for many adolescents but there is a significant subset of suicidal patients that have continued suicidality. This study will target teens that are at risk for re-hospitalization based on continued suicidal ideation, their mood and another risk factor such as self-harm or substance use. These risk factors have been shown to increase risk for continued suicidal behavior and expensive contacts with the health care system. This protocol has been designed to determine whether Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which was designed to treat adolescents with a mood disorder, suicidal ideation, and substance use, will result in better treatment outcomes compared to standard care in the community. The Intensive CBT condition will be delivered by a team of two licensed mental health therapists over the course of one year and will work with both the teen and parent. The standard care condition will receive treatment in the community. One hundred-and fifty adolescents (38 a year) will be recruited from several inpatient and partial hospital locations. Each adolescent will receive a thorough baseline assessment to determine whether they are appropriate for the study and will be assigned to either the Intensive CBT condition or treatment within the community. Both groups of teens will receive follow-up assessments at 6, 12, and 18 months to identify how they are doing over time.