A Call to Prioritize Integrated Suicide Interventions in Adolescent Substance Use Treatment

ABSTRACT

Substance use is identified as a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents. Scholars have developed and investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of combined suicide and substance use interventions for adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized following a suicidal crisis who also have co-occurring substance use problems. However, little research has been done to develop and investigate the effectiveness of combined suicide and substance use interventions within outpatient substance use settings for adolescents. Because social workers are well-positioned to deliver integrated interventions, greater focus is needed on teaching and implementing integrated substance use and suicide interventions at an individual and institutional level.

KEYWORDS:

• Integrated treatment
• substance use
• suicide
• adolescents
• outpatient

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention [YIG-1-165-20, PI: Sellers, Mentor: Spirito].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.