Rethinking Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Care: The Importance of Integrated Interventions for Suicidal Youth With Substance Use Problems

Abstract

Adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized following a suicide attempt are at high risk for a repeat attempt or suicide completion, and substance use is consistently implicated as a risk factor for continued suicidal behavior in adolescents. Despite this knowledge, there have been few studies that have investigated the effectiveness of combined suicidality and substance use interventions within acute psychiatric care settings for suicidal youth with substance use problems. While social workers are well-positioned to deliver such interventions, greater emphasis on teaching integrated therapeutic techniques in social work curriculum and professional training is needed to ensure their implementation.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• mental health
• psychosocial intervention
• social work
• suicide
• substance abuse