Introduction
Mental health remains an essential element across the lifespan, affecting adolescents and adults of any age. Placement in an environment that handles children and families presents a real-world opportunity where I not only help patients but also gain a deep understanding of suicidality among adolescents and associated causing factors and treatment. In the course of work, it is gradually comprehending that depression is one of the main reasons prompting adolescents and young women to seek treatment. Whereas various therapy options are available to them, cognitive treatment is the widely implemented approach in handling depression among adolescents. Engagement in suicidal thoughts is a common problem among dejected adolescents (SAMHSA, 2020). Addressing suicidal behavior and thoughts need to be managed if these challenges are to change. Therefore, this research paper presents a literature review on the rationale and the impacts underlying the utilization of cognitive therapy in preventing suicide among young women and adolescents who are clinically depressed.
Research Question
Does cognitive therapy prevent suicide among adolescents and young women who are clinically depressed?
Literature Review
What is Known About Cognitive Therapy in Suicide Prevention
Asarnow and Mehlum (2019) posit that suicide is the principal reason of death globally among youths while self-harm and suicidal behavior are leading clinical concerns. Busby et al. (2020) discuss cognitive therapy for the prevention of suicide to mental behavioral psychotherapy initiatives planned for patients who might have previously contemplated death or constantly engages in suicidal thoughts. Through this intervention, patients can learn new ways of behaving and thinking during instances of suicidal crises. The intervention also helps in supporting the patient to establish networks of social support and mental health services in the bid to avert future attempts of suicide.
Previous Research on the Topic
Previous studies have actively examined the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in the management of suicidal behaviors among young women and adolescents. For example, Moreland et al. (2022) assessed the usage of cognitive behavioral therapy coupled with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), an antidepressant, leading to positive outcome. In another study conducted by Oud et al. (2019), it shows that cognitive therapy is effective for adolescents with clinical depression compared to utilization of various antidepressants such as SSRI. The outcome of the meeting showed a statistically substantial improvement in suicidal ideation.
Research Findings
The findings of effectiveness of cognitive therapy on managing depression in adolescents are consistent with previous studies. Turecki et al. (2019) demonstrates that whereas numerous teenagers who experience depression tend not to develop suicidal thoughts, adolescents who perished through suicide were highly likely to get major depression. The work further discloses that that parents might have trouble correctly recognizing the suicidality of their teenagers when diagnosed with stress. The situation escalates the dangers of suicide combined with a lack of access to sound interventions. Following the strong bond between suicidality and depression, the most efficient prevention and treatment of depression might be lowering suicidal thoughts among adolescents and young women. Among the existing treatment options, cognitive behavioral therapy offers the best option for lowering both depression and suicidal thoughts in young women and teenagers. Contrarily, Iyengar et al. (2018) establish that the use of antidepressant drugs for managing depression in adolescents is not highly effective since they might induce a temporary upsurge in suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.
Inconsistent Research Findings
Research conducted by Stikkelbroek et al. (2022) remains inconsistent with other studies on the impact of cognitive theory in managing depression among adolescents with suicidal thoughts. The psychological solutions used to manage suicidality in teenagers have not shown greater efficacy compared to the common medication and care. The finding was captured in a meta-analysis of about seventeen interventions used to treat and control suicidality in youths. The study established that adolescents who got a suicide-centered solution were not highly likely as control groups to encounter suicidal thoughts and ideation (Miller & Campo, 2021). However, after about 5 months of treatment, participants who got active interventions would probably experience suicidal events, although less likely to report miserable thoughts. The researchers concluded that such interventions which emphasize specifically suicide ideas were marginally efficient in the short-term although could result in higher suicidality in the long term.
Gaps in Literature
Werner-Seidler et al. (2021) discuss gaps in the literature that encompass the use of usual treatment instead of non-direct therapies as comparators in many studies infer that someone might not establish the efficacy of therapeutic. Moreover, cognitive therapy protocols often vary and it is believed that those that aim at suicide-related conduct may be highly effective. The approach is backed by meta-analytic outcomes showing that cognitive therapy might just be best when the major role is imparting knowledge about averting suicide instead of the known framework like depression.
Research Methods
Sinyor et al. (2020) discusses how studies, for example, employ randomized-controlled trial methods to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in preventing suicide among depressed adolescents and young women. The method is employed to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of cognitive therapy on adolescents admitted to the hospital following suicidal thoughts and compared with an attentional control set. New interventions have also been initiated and integrate advances in technology combined with other adaptive intervention strategies.
References
Asarnow, J. R., & Mehlum, L. (2019). Practitioner review: Treatment for suicidal and self‐harming adolescents–advances in suicide prevention care. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(10), 1046-1054. Web.
Busby, D. R., Hatkevich, C., McGuire, T. C., & King, C. A. (2020). Evidence-based interventions for youth suicide risk. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22(2), 1-8. Web.
Iyengar, U., Snowden, N., Asarnow, J. R., Moran, P., Tranah, T., & Ougrin, D. (2018). A further look at therapeutic interventions for suicide attempts and self-harm in adolescents: An updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9(1), 1-16. Web.
Miller, L., & Campo, J. V. (2021). Depression in adolescents. New England Journal of Medicine, 385(5), 445-449. Web.
Moreland, C. S., Bonin, L., & Blake, D. (2022). Patient education: Depression treatment options for children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics). Uptodate Inc. Web.
Oud, M., De Winter, L., Vermeulen-Smit, E., Bodden, D., Nauta, M., Stone, L., Heuvel, M., Taher, R. A., Graaf, I. D., Kendall, T., Engels, R., & Stikkelbroek, Y. (2019). Effectiveness of CBT for children and adolescents with depression: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. European Psychiatry, 57, 33-45. Web.
Sinyor, M., Williams, M., Mitchell, R., Zaheer, R., Bryan, C. J., Schaffer, A.,… & Tien, H. (2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention in youth admitted to hospital following an episode of self-harm: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 266(1), 686-694. Web.
Stikkelbroek, Y., Vink, G., Nauta, M. H., Bottelier, M. A., Vet, L. J., Lont, C. M., Baar, A. L., & Bodden, D. H. (2020). Effectiveness and moderators of individual cognitive behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual in clinically depressed adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-13. Web.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2020). Treatment for suicidal ideation, self‐harm, and suicide attempts among youth. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-06-01-002.
Turecki, G., Brent, D. A., Gunnell, D., O’Connor, R. C., Oquendo, M. A., Pirkis, J., & Stanley, B. H. (2019). Suicide and suicide risk. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5(1), 1-22. Web.
Werner-Seidler, A., Spanos, S., Calear, A. L., Perry, Y., Torok, M., O’Dea, B., Christensen, H., & Newby, J. M. (2021). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 89(1), 1-24. Web.