For Immediate Release
Contact: Erin Baker, Communications Director
202.966.7300, Ext. 119
ebaker@aacap.org
Adam Lowe, Communications Coordinator
202.966.7300, Ext. 154
alowe@aacap.org
National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Organizations Have Released the Following Statement:
September 8, 2008—A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that shows a continued high rate of youth suicides in 2005, the year after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a "black box" warning on antidepressant medications, demonstrates an urgent need for further study into the cause of this trend.
"This trend is not about data points on a graph. This is about individuals and the real devastation of youth suicide," said AACAP President Robert Hendren, D.O.
The results show that the spike in teen suicides which occurred in 2004 was not an anomaly. Given the steady decline in youth suicides in the 1990s, the results reported in JAMA are particularly disturbing.
Suicide is predominantly caused by depression: a brain-based condition with biological underpinnings. Depression can be successfully treated, especially with early, sustained interventions.
At a time when understanding of mental illnesses and their treatments is better than ever, the high rate of suicide demands increased research into its cause.
###
Signees:
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Mental Health America
Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
To interview a child and adolescent psychiatrist about youth suicide, please contact Adam Lowe at alowe@aacap.org or 202.966.7300 x 154.
Representing over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists nationwide, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children's mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families.
Contact: Erin Baker, Communications Director
202.966.7300, Ext. 119
ebaker@aacap.org
Adam Lowe, Communications Coordinator
202.966.7300, Ext. 154
alowe@aacap.org
National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Organizations Have Released the Following Statement:
September 8, 2008—A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that shows a continued high rate of youth suicides in 2005, the year after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a "black box" warning on antidepressant medications, demonstrates an urgent need for further study into the cause of this trend.
"This trend is not about data points on a graph. This is about individuals and the real devastation of youth suicide," said AACAP President Robert Hendren, D.O.
The results show that the spike in teen suicides which occurred in 2004 was not an anomaly. Given the steady decline in youth suicides in the 1990s, the results reported in JAMA are particularly disturbing.
Suicide is predominantly caused by depression: a brain-based condition with biological underpinnings. Depression can be successfully treated, especially with early, sustained interventions.
At a time when understanding of mental illnesses and their treatments is better than ever, the high rate of suicide demands increased research into its cause.
###
Signees:
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Mental Health America
Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
To interview a child and adolescent psychiatrist about youth suicide, please contact Adam Lowe at alowe@aacap.org or 202.966.7300 x 154.
Representing over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists nationwide, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is the leading authority on children's mental health. AACAP members actively research, diagnose, and treat psychiatric disorders affecting children, adolescents, and their families.
