Suicide Care Shift

Ever wonder why physicians prescribe antidepressants in teens at such a high level? Prescriptions for these medicines rose 63% amongst adolescents during the pandemic for example.

Doctors often make the decision “in the midst of a suicide situation,” as psychiatrists and even pediatricians are often alerted to a teen who acknowledges thinking about it, even if no plan has been made. The decision to prescribe an anti-depressant is, according to many of these professionals, essential in that situation to stabilize.

There are alternative treatment methods that have sprung up recently like the intensive outpatient approach by Vita Health, which is the nation’s only known organization offering telehealth focused suicide care from a team of clinicians trained to help individuals during this period. It’s not about “preventing” suicide as much as tackling the condition head on, in a way that helps the teen or adult directly learn from and manage through their thoughts about suicide and, in some cases, their attempt. This model is virtual as a way to be more accessible and because the impact on outcomes is better.

“You create trust and assurance and make it okay,” one teen, Mark, 18, said of his experience with virtual suicide care. “Before I had to wait a week to see my psychiatrist in his office…it was harder that way….I saw those appointments as something as I was being told to do, as opposed to something that I wanted to do to get better.”

At Vita, psychiatrists and therapists go through a training around suicide care and how to talk to and with patients. They offer the person the chance to talk to a clinician “where they are at” and in a very specialized program that head of psychiatry Neil Leibowitz, MD, says doesn’t lump them with others who may be suffering from depression or anxiety, but not suicidality.

Prescriptions for adolescents rose 63.5% during the pandemic, according to new research, further evidence of the youth mental health crisis. The monthly dispensing rate rose the most for females ages 12-17 while the rate actually dropped for males, though researchers say this likely indicates they received less care as opposed to their mental health improving.