HJNO Sep/Oct 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS  I  SEP / OCT 2019 49 illness. There is a major national focus on behavioral health interventions. With the opening of its free-standing 51-bed Be- havioral Health Center before the end of the year, Children’s Hospital New Orleans is working to vastly expand its behavior- al health services. The center will include a larger inpatient unit, expansion of out- patient services, major increases in use of tele-psychiatric services, and an expan- sion of services into local schools to help head off these concerning trends. n Kristine U. Olivier, MD, Adult, Child, and Adoles- cent Psychiatrist, earned an undergraduate de- gree in cell and molecular biology from Tulane University. She received a medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Cen- ter in Shreveport, and completed a residency in general psychiatry from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where she also served as chief resident. Additionally, Dr. Olivier complet- ed a fellowship in infant, child, and adolescent psychiatry at LSUHSC New Orleans. Dr. Olivier is currently co-director for LSUHSC New Orleans’ Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship, as well as the Chief of Child Psychiatry Services at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Kristine U. Olivier, MD Chief of Child Psychiatry Services Children’s Hospital New Orleans smoking cigarettes. At this time, we don’t quite understand the full impact of juuling on the teen brain. We worry that Juul use in teenagers will create dependency path- ways in the brain, setting teens up for ad- dictive behaviors in the future. The CDC is even calling it an epidem- ic—the creation of a generation of nicotine dependent teenagers. It is also a problem for which there is no FDA-recommended treatment to help teens quit. Expect to see major efforts toward prevention and edu- cation in the near future. Suicide Suicide rates plummeted in 1995 after the Columbine School shooting. There was a consequent massive focus on adolescent mental health that helped keep suicide trends low. However, since about 2006, rates have steadily risen. In the last three years, the rate of admission to emergency departments across the country for suicid- al behaviors and attempts has skyrocket- ed. Also of major concern is that the rate of suicide in teenage girls has risen to historic high levels. Psychiatrists and psychologists cannot predict who will commit suicide, but they can assess risk. A previous suicide attempt continues to be the strongest predictor of a future suicide attempt. Other risk factors clinicians take into account are previous history of a major mental health problem, social isolation, limited support network, chronic medical problems, alcohol or drug use, stated future intent (organized plan), and suicidal behavior. The most recent statistics show that 1 in 5 teens in the U.S. have a major mental “Parents should have media free zones in the home to be better able to monitor just how much time is being spent on devices.”

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