High-School Mental Health Sessions Help Prevent Depression in Teens

A recent study shows that teens can greatly benefit from group high-school sessions that discuss mental health and how to reduce anxiety.

Researchers looked at mental health issues among 509 British teens to find that it was reduced by 25 to 33 percent over 2 years following two 90-minute group therapy sessions throughout the period.

Lead study author Dr. Patricia Conrod of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre discussed their results, according to the study.

"Almost one-in-four American 8 to 15 year olds has experienced a mental health disorder over the past year. We know that these disorders are associated with a plethora of negative consequences," Conrod said, via a press release. "Our study shows that teacher delivered interventions that target specific risk factors for mental health problems can be immensely effective at reducing the incidence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders in the long term."

Nine schools in the Greater London area participated in the study, including a control group of schools in which students did not receive any interventions. Students were also evaluated based on their risk of developing mental health issues or substance abuse problems that can be established via a personality scale. The scale measures different personality factors that are known to be  correlated strongly with behavioral issues: for example, a person with high level of impulsivity is more than five times likely to develop severe conduct problems within the next 18 months.

The researchers looked for various characteristics, including impulsivity, hopelessness, anxiety, sensitivity and sensation seeking. The schools involved in the intervention condition were then trained to deliver interventions based on high risk students in control schools, who were not. The two-session interventions included cognitive-behavioral strategies for managing the personality profile. And interventions included real life "scenarios" shared by high risk youths within their focus group.

The study concludes with the following, via a press release: "In the two years that followed the interventions, students completed questionnaires every six months that enabled the researchers to establish the development of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, conduct problems and suicidal thoughts. The effects were clinically significant, with a 21-26% reduction in severe depression, anxiety and conduct problem symptoms over the course of the trial. Teenagers high in impulsivity had 36% reduced odds of reporting severe conduct problems. Similarly, teenagers high in anxiety sensitivity reported 33% reduced odds of severe anxiety problems. Teenagers high in hopelessness exhibited similar decreases in severe depressive symptoms (23%) as compared to youth with similar personality profiles who did not receive interventions. "The interventions were run by trained educational professionals, suggesting that this brief intervention can be both effective and sustainable when run within the school system," Conrod said. "We are now leading similar study is 32 high schools in Montreal to further test the efficacy of this kind of programme."

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.