Family Therapy is More Effective than Standard Treatment for Adolescents with Suicidal Thoughts
Family Therapy is More Effective than Standard Treatment for Adolescents with Suicidal Thoughts
March 4, 2010
Medical Research, Press Releases
NEW YORK, March 1, 2010 — Adolescents with suicidal thoughts and elevated depression have better and faster reduction of symptoms when treated with family therapy than with private therapy, according to a study by a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researcher.
Dr. Gary Diamond, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology at BGU, was among the team of researchers reporting these findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Vol. 49, Feb. 2010).
This is the first treatment study for teens with suicidal thoughts to show robust and statistically significant improvement over treatment in private practice or in a conventional community health facility. The research was conducted at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In this study, patients with severe suicidal thinking who received Attachment-based Family Therapy (ABFT) were four times more likely to have no suicidal thoughts at the end of the treatment or three months after treatment, than patients receiving standard treatment. Patients in ABFT also showed a more rapid decrease in depression symptoms and stayed in treatment longer than in community care.
According to BGU’s Dr. Gary Diamond, one of the primary developers of the ABFT model and member of the research team, “The idea behind ABFT is to improve the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Research has shown that family conflict, criticism and detachment can contribute to adolescents’ suicidal thoughts and acts. On the other hand, family acceptance, love and support decrease the likelihood for suicide by increasing adolescents’ sense of esteem and connection.
“The goal of the treatment is to help parents empathically enter their child’s world so that the child feels less alone. As intimacy increases, parents are better positioned to provide guidance and advocate for their adolescent as she/he navigates the hurdles of adolescence.”
The researchers studied 66 children between the ages of 12 and 17 who presented in primary care or emergency rooms with severe suicidal thinking and depressive symptoms. The average age was 15; about three quarters were African American and 83 percent were female. Parent participation was required.
“Parents are not viewed as the problem, but as the curative medicine,” Diamond says. “They are the key to keeping lines of communication open in order to monitor against suicidal behavior. And while no treatment is perfect for all patients, helping any family through a youth’s suicide crisis is important.”
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in American adolescents, accounting for more than 1,300 deaths in youths between the ages of 12 and 18 in 2005. An additional one million teens attempt suicide each year, leading to high emotional and financial costs to families and the health care system. Few treatment studies in the past have focused on this vulnerable age group or identified treatments with proven results.
Future studies will focus on a broader population of patients, stronger comparison treatments and long-term outcomes to better assess treatment benefits.
A grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supported this research. The co-authors were Guy S. Diamond, Ph.D., director of the Center for Family Intervention Science at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Gregory Brown, Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania; Matthew B. Wintersteen, Ph.D., from Thomas Jefferson University; Robert Gallop, Ph.D., from West Chester University; Gary M. Diamond, Ph.D., from Ben-Gurion University of Negev, Israel; Karni Shelef, Ph.D., of Achva Academic College of Israel; and Suzanne Levy, Ph.D., from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
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20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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