Taking STEPS to Help Teens

    The tragedy at Columbine opened our eyes to the serious troubles teens face today. The tragic events at Virginia Tech were another alarming wake-up call: Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents (ages 15-19) and it's estimated that 80 percent of youth who are depressed are not diagnosed.

   Thanks to a grant from Senator Thomas P. Morahan, state senator for Rockland and Orange Counties and chairman of the New York State Senate Committee in Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, a new program aims to help troubled teens and their parents. Launched by the NYU Child Study Center and affiliated with Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center and the Nathan Kline Institute, the STEPSinitiative is set to kick off in Rockland County high schools. This pilot program aims to provide a local solution to a national problem by identifying and providing access to treatment for teens with mental health problems — to reduce risk for suicide and school violence. STEPS stands for Screening, Treatment, and Education to Prevent Suicide.

    According to Christopher P. Lucas, M.D., associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and attending physician at the NYU Child Study Center, most suicide prevention approaches have taken a single approach: They've either provided educational/curriculum sessions at school, implemented screening procedures, or they've tried to get health professionals to treat depression more effectively. "What we're trying to do is combine the best elements of these," he says.

    Dr. Lucas, who developed the STEPS educational and screening tools, used a threefold approach, focusing equally on screening, education and treatment. He designed the program to reduce the stigma associated with screening, help-seeking and treatments so that troubled teenagers don't slip through the cracks and so get the attention and care they need.  "We're going to use a combination of traditional in-school curricula and parent education sessions," he says. This aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of at-risk teens, reduce the stigma, and address the very real concerns of parents and students. Sessions (appropriate for a health class) will cover topics such as depression and suicide,  understanding and coping with emotions, alcohol and drugs, eating issues and body image, relationships, parents, physical health, sexual health and wellness.