title: Best practices: the Utah Youth Suicide Study: best practices for suicide prevention through the juvenile court system.
abstract: Utah is among a group of Western Mountain states in which suicide rates among youths are consistently high. The Utah Youth Suicide Study incorporated data from every government agency in Utah, utilizing a statewide Office of the Medical Examiner. A key finding was that 63% of suicide decedents had contact with the juvenile courts. The group developed a best practices model within the juvenile court system for early mental health intervention. Significant cost savings were demonstrated. The model includes screening at-risk teenagers with the Youth Outcome Questionnaire. Treatment includes both psychiatric care and in-home behavioral intervention. Services were effectively delivered on a large scale.
authors.affiliation: Universityof Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. douglas.gray@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Doug
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Grey
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: McMahon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D006077:Government Agencies; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013405:Suicide / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014589:Utah / Q000453:epidemiology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention