Penn Medicine researchers received a $14 million grant to develop and adapt researched-based suicide prevention interventions for underserved groups. Researchers will launch Penn Innovation in Suicide Prevention Implementation Research (INSPIRE)
As reported by WHYY, the center aims to reduce disparities and increase the understanding of suicide in diverse populations.
Maria Oquendo, Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and co-director of INSPIRE said the rates of suicide among Black youth is increasing. “If you actually look at data from the last few years, you’ll see that the rates of suicide (…) are increasing among Black youth.”
According to a 2018 analysis of CDC suicide data, the rate of suicide among those younger than 13 is approximately two times higher for Black children compared with white children.
And similar disproportionate rates in suicide risk among other populations of color, particularly Hispanic women, as well as LGBTQ people have been documented in recent years.
Oquendo holds that a proper sense of belonging is a solid antidote against suicide risk. Unfortunately this sense seems to be diminished. “What we’re seeing, which is so worrisome, is that what used to be a protection, that is, belonging to a group, seems to be eroding. And so what you see is that rates of suicide, especially among very young individuals, (are) creeping up.”
Led by Oquendo and Gregory K. Brown, an associate professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, the INSPIRE center wants to leverage psychiatry, health economics, and other interdisciplinary research experts to apply innovative approaches to suicide prevention.
INSPIRE, led by Oquendo and Gregory K. Brown, an Associate Professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, will also support 10 pilot projects, one of which will focus on Black youth who use the emergency room in a West Philadelphia hospital system.
Oquendo said some research has shown that African American youth are less likely to connect to mental health services after an emergency room visit when compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Lost in the system
“When (Black) kids come in suicidal into the emergency room, even if they get evidence-based treatment, the problem is that they kind of get lost in the system,” said Oquendo. “And so we’re testing a program where we actually assign a patient navigator to the family to help make sure that the individual actually ends up getting the care that they need immediately after the emergency room discharge.”
Part of the focus of the center involves developing and testing strategies for a range of practice settings, including those with limited resources. For example, one project will test the use of peer mentors for LGBTQ populations who are experiencing periods of crisis that may involve suicidal ideation.
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