Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters (TASA)

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of three types of treatments for depressed teenagers who have attempted suicide.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents and is a major public health problem. Depression is the most common diagnosis for adolescent suicide attempts. Little is known about what treatment is best for these adolescents since they are usually excluded from participation in research studies.

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive carefully monitored antidepressant medication with routine support and management, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or a combination of antidepressant medication plus CBT.

• Depression
• Suicide, Attempted

• Drug: fluoxetine
• Drug: sertraline
• Drug: citalopram
• Drug: escitalopram
• Drug: bupropion
• Drug: mirtazapine
• Drug: venlafaxine
• Drug: lithium
• Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Brent DA, Greenhill LL, Compton S, Emslie G, Wells K, Walkup JT, Vitiello B, Bukstein O, Stanley B, Posner K, Kennard BD, Cwik MF, Wagner A, Coffey B, March JS, Riddle M, Goldstein T, Curry J, Barnett S, Capasso L, Zelazny J, Hughes J, Shen S, Gugga SS, Turner JB. The Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters study (TASA): predictors of suicidal events in an open treatment trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;48(10):987-96.
• Stanley B, Brown G, Brent DA, Wells K, Poling K, Curry J, Kennard BD, Wagner A, Cwik MF, Klomek AB, Goldstein T, Vitiello B, Barnett S, Daniel S, Hughes J. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP): treatment model, feasibility, and acceptability. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;48(10):1005-13.

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least one suicide attempt or interrupted attempt within the past 45 days
• Continuously reside with a primary caretaker (parent, legal guardian, foster parent) for at least 6 months that can provide legal consent