DALLAS — According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers. Also, 25% of children now screen positive for anxiety and depression.
This month, WFAA is highlighting UT Southwestern's Center for Depression Research, which is already making a major impact.
"Depression is very common. We know this is a brain disease," said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who has made studying the brain his life's work.
In 2015, he founded the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care at UT Southwestern Medical Center's Peter O'Donnell Brain Institute.
"It is our-- actually, everybody's-- business to help each other," Trivedi said.
He explained that as rates of suicide increased, and more people suffered, research scrambled to keep up with why this is happening.
Trivedi points to three reasons in his research for why it is:
- Lack of attention to early signs and symptoms
- Added stressors of the COVID pandemic
- Effect of social media
"On the one hand, teenagers and young adults feel like they're connected because they're on social media constantly," Trivedi said. "On the other hand, it creates a sense of isolation."
The 'why' is part of what the Center is studying. They have three areas of focus. First, doctors are working to find new ways to help people who haven't benefited from traditional treatment.
"It's not just medication," said Trivedi. "It is also therapy, it is also exercise, it is also behavioral activation, it is also some community work."
Second, researchers are developing brain and blood tests that can be used routinely in practice by doctors anywhere.
"So that when someone comes in and says, 'I'm not feeling well,' we can do those tests, come up with an algorithm and say this is what you have, this is the treatment you should have," he said.
Third, they're partnering with community leaders through two large initiatives: in clinical practices, to change the way hospitals and doctors screen for and treat depression. And, in schools.
"Like we have annual physicals, we should have an annual mental health check up," Trivedi explained.