The University of Pittsburgh’s psychiatry department was awarded a $16.2 million National Institute of Mental Health grant renewal to address adolescent suicide among Black and Latino youth.

 

The grant will continue to fund the Enhancing Triage and Utilization for Depression and Emergent Suicidality Center (ETUDES), which is led by David Brent, MD, (distinguished professor of psychiatry, pediatrics, epidemiology and clinical and translational science and endowed chair in suicide studies), Bruce Rollman, MD, MPH, (University of Pittsburgh (UP) professor and UP Medical Center endowed chair in general internal medicine), and Jami Young, PhD (professor and associate chair for psychiatry research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia).

Throughout the last decade, the incidence of depression, suicidal behavior and suicide among American youth has increased by over 40%, leading the Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to declare a national emergency.

Recognizing that adolescent youth of color experience higher rates of suicidal behavior, ETUDES will address racial and ethnic health disparities vis-à-vis suicide among adolescents. ETUDES promises to include a significant number of Black and Latino youth and their families among its 1,200 study participants.

Among the Black, Latino, Native American, Asian and multiracial adolescents surveyed in a 2022 study, 22% displayed self-injurious behavior, 27% experienced suicidal ideation and 18% had attempted suicide at least once.

According to a University of Pittsburgh news release, ETUDES aims to address this national emergency by training diverse researchers to address the current mental health crisis among youth, developing tools for pediatric health care providers to reduce the rate of adolescent  suicidal behavior and increasing the capacity of pediatric primary care for suicidal youth.

To read more, click “’Twitter Therapist’ Creates Safe Space for Black Community,” “The Kids Are Not All Right. A Maryland Bill Aims to Help” and “Young People Living With HIV Face Higher Suicide Risk,” or look through Real Health’s #Mental Health tag.