FMHI Tests Suicide Prevention Model

The United States Surgeon General has declared suicide, particularly adolescent suicide, among the most serious public health concerns and has initiated a call to action for every state to address this issue.

The Florida Suicide Prevention Pilot Project will utilize the Columbia University TeenScreen Program, an adolescent mental health and suicide-screening initiative active in 40 states and identi€ed in the President’s New Freedom Commission Report as a model program. Columbia’s goal is to ensure that all youth are offered a mental health check-up before leaving high school. As part of Columbia’s interest in establishing and maintaining efforts in Florida, a school based screening initiative will be offered to Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pascoe County school districts in the Tampa area.

According to facts from the Columbia TeenScreen program, only one-third of teens at risk for suicide and one-€fth of those with depression ever receive treatment.

“ By identifying and treating adolescents with mental illness,” said David Shern, Dean of the Louis de la Parte Institute, “not only can we increase opportunities for social success with friends and family, we can also prevent the tragedy of a life being lost to suicide.”

With funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, FMHI, Columbia and Tampa’s Robert’s Communication are developing a communication program that is designed to enhance family participation in the screening program.

“ In order to increase the rate of participation in screening, “added Shern, “it is essential that a focused effort be placed upon increasing the likelihood that children and families consent to participate in screening and complete follow-up once a problem is recognized.”

The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute in collaboration with Columbia University’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is developing and testing procedures for implementing suicide screening protocols in large, urban school districts. The Institute is uniquely quali€ed to work on theFlorida Suicide Prevention Pilot Project because it has, as its primary mission, the development and dissemination of practices that improve the mental health status of populations in Florida and nationally. The Institute has well developed relationships with the major school districts in the Tampa bay area; is developing protocols for pilot testing the TeenScreen program in a large high schools in each of these school districts; has extensive experience in evaluating program initiatives, documenting the extent of their effectiveness and widely disseminating the evaluation results in a manner to maximally impact practice.

Additional information on the Florida Suicide Prevention Pilot Project can be obtained by contacting project manager Justin Doan at 813-396-9219.