Three Psychotherapies for Suicidal Adolescents: Overview of Conceptual Frameworks and Intervention Techniques

Adolescents in the Emergency Room: Assessing and Addressing Suicide Risk

“…It is estimated that a significant number of youth suffer from suicidal thoughts and behavior without ever being connected to mental health treatment, in some studies up to 40% of these youth are unreached (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016). Youth should be involved in their treatment plans, and be given options for what kind of therapy they receive.…”

“…As discussed in Section 2, young people who feel disconnected from their family are at greater risk for becoming suicidal, and the presence of family connectedness is a protective factor for suicidal behavior. ABFT works under the assumption that a family's behavior and interactions with a youth can either increase or decrease suicide risk (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016). By examining a young person's attachment style with their caregivers as either "secure" or "insecure," a therapist practicing ABFT can work with a family to encourage positive interactions that decrease risk, and move towards a family environment that "earns security or strengthens an already secure attachment" (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016).…”

“…Another common therapy that works to reduce unhealthy coping mechanisms in adolescence, such as NSSI, is Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016). Research has praised I-CBT for its use of motivational interviewing techniques to communicate to adolescents that they can choose to use healthier coping skills over unhealthy ones.…”

“…Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016), is generally used for youth who are dealing with different disordered behavior at the same time; such as suicidality, self-harm and borderline-personality disorder symptoms. Research praises DBT-A for its versatility for inpatient or outpatient treatment and its tendency to help an adolescent come to terms with conflicting emotions and how to deal with them.…”

“…Research praises DBT-A for its versatility for inpatient or outpatient treatment and its tendency to help an adolescent come to terms with conflicting emotions and how to deal with them. For example, a suicidal teen in DBT-A treatment could find themselves saying this example given in research to explain the therapy's dialectic approach (Singer, O'Brien, & LeCloux, 2016): "I might not be responsible for all the things that are bad about my relationships, but I am responsible for working on them to make them better." This therapy seems to be beneficial for adolescents who struggle with self-hatred and use suicidality as an attempt to explore that feeling, because of its capacity to acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings while providing hope that change is possible through effort on the part of the adolescent.…”