Skip to main content

Treating Suicidality in African American Adolescents with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Abstract

Methods for preventing adolescent suicide are surveyed, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is explored as a method for serving suicidal African American adolescents. Strengths, limitations, and compatibility of CBT with social work values are examined. Although CBT shows much promise in helping suicidal African American adolescents, research on the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT with this population is lacking. Suicide risk and protective factors and social inequities are evaluated as they relate to African American adolescents generally. In addition to relieving suicidal symptoms, CBT potentially could facilitate social liberation for this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  • American Academy of Child, Adolescent Psychiatry. (2001). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with suicidal behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 24–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2001). Reporting a suicide: Recommendations for the media. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from www.afsp.org/education/recommendations/5/1.htm.

  • Anderson, H. C. (2004). The emperor’s new clothes. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asarnow, J. R., Jaycox, L. H., & Tompson, M. C. (2001). Depression in youth: Psychosocial interventions. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 33–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barbe, R. P., Bridge, J., Birmaher, B., Kolko, D., & Brent, D. A. (2004). Suicidality and its relationship to treatment outcome in depressed adolescents. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 34, 44–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: William Morrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, A. (2002). Child and adolescence problems. In F. W. Bond, & W. Dryden (Eds.), Handbook of brief cognitive behavior therapy. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, G. N., Hornbrook, M., & Lynch, F. (2002). Group cognitive-behavioral treatment for depressed adolescent offspring of depressed parents in a Health Maintenance Organization. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 305–313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Compton, S. N., March, J. S., Brent, D., Albano, M., & Weersing, R. (2004). Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents: An evidence-based medicine review. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 930–959.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conner, K. R., Meldrum, S., Wieczorek, W. F., & Duberstein, P. R. (2004). The association of irritability and impulsivity with suicidal ideation among 15-to 20-year-old males. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 34, 363–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenreich, J. T., Kyle-Linkovich, T., & Rojas-Vilches, A. (2005). Cognitive behavior therapy: Child clinical applications. In M. Hersen, A. M. Gross, & R. S. Drabman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy Volume Two: Child clinical applications (pp. 767–775). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedberg, R. D., & McClure, J. M. (2002). Clinical practice of cognitive therapy with children and adolescents: The nuts and bolts. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geldard, K., & Geldard, G. (2004). Counseling adolescents (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, M. S., Greenberg, T., Velting, D. M., & Shaffer, D. (2003). Youth suicide risk and preventive interventions: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 386–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanna, F. J., Talley, W. B., & Guindon, M. H. (2000). The power of perception: Toward a model of cultural oppression and liberation. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74, 430–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, R., & Saleem, Y. (2003). Cognitive behavioral therapy after deliberate self-harm. In R. A. King & A. Apter (Eds.), Suicide in children and adolescents. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersen M., Gross A. M., & Drabman R. S. (Eds.). (2005). Encyclopedia of behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy Volume Two: Child clinical applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ialongo, N. S., Koenig-McNaught, A. L., Wagner, B. M., Pearson, J. L., McCreary, B. K., Poduska, J., et al. (2004). S. African American children’s reports of depressed mood, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation and later suicide attempts. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 34, 395–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine. (2002). Reducing suicide: A national imperative. Washington, DC: National Academies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaslow, N. J., & Thompson, M. P. (1998). Applying the criteria for empirically supported treatments to studies of psychosocial interventions for child and adolescent depression. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 146–155.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). The children’s depression inventory. North Tonawanda, NY: Mental Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lantz, J. (1996). Cognitive theory and social work treatment. In F. J. Turner (Ed.), Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (4th ed., pp. 94–115). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonigan, C. J., Elbert, J. C., & Johnson, S. B. (1998). Empirically supported psychosocial interventions for children: An overview. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 138–145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McClellan, J. M., & Werry, J. S. (2003). Evidence-based treatments in child and adolescent psychiatry: An inventory. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1388–1400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moskos, M. A., Achilles, J., & Gray, D. (2004). Adolescent suicide myths in the United States. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 25, 176–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poznanski, E., Freeman, L., & Mokros, H. (1985). Children’s depression rating scale—revised. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 979–989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qin, P., Agerbo, E., & Mortensen, P. B. (2002). Suicide risk in relation to family history of completed suicide and psychiatric disorders: A nested case-control study. The Lancet, 360, 1126–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Randall, B. P., Eggert, L., & Pike, K. C. (2001). Immediate post intervention effects of two brief youth suicide prevention interventions. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 31, 41–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regehr, C. (2001). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. In P. Lehmann & N. Coady (Eds.), Theoretical perspectives for direct social work practice: A generalist-eclectic approach. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaud, J., Brent, D. A., Baugher, M., Birmaher, B., Kolko, D. J., & Bridge, J. (1998). Rapid response to psychosocial treatment for adolescent depression: A two-year follow-up. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 1184–1190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosselló, J., & Bernal, G. (1999). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal treatments for depression in Puerto Rican adolescents. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 734–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snowden, L. R. (2003). Bias in mental health assessment and intervention: Theory and evidence. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 239–243.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stack, S. (2000). Suicide: A 15-year review of the sociological literature part I: Cultural and economic factors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 30, 145–162.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Reconnecting Youth. Retrieved March 5, 2005 from http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/pdfs/FactSheets/Reconnecting.pdf.

  • Swan, J., Sorrell, E., MacVicar, B., Durham, R., & Matthews, K. (2004). “Coping with depression”: An open study of the efficacy of a group psychoeducational intervention in chronic, treatment-refractory depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 82, 125–129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health, Human Services. (1998). Suicide among black youths—United States, 1980–1995. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 47(10), 193–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health, Human Services. (1999). Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health, Human Services. (2001a). Mental health: Culture, race, and ethnicity—A supplement to Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health, Human Services. (2001b). National strategy for suicide prevention: Goals and objectives for action. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Public Health Service. (1999). The surgeon general’s call to action to prevent suicide. Washington, DC.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeanette Harder.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bryant, C.E., Harder, J. Treating Suicidality in African American Adolescents with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 25, 1–9 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-007-0100-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-007-0100-2

Keywords