Learn about Teen Depression

Please save Monday, March 14 from 6:45 to 9 p.m. for a fascinating talk on teen depression by psychiatrist Steven L. Jaffe, M.D.

Internationally acclaimed child and adolescent psychiatrist Steven L. Jaffe, MD, will speak on “Teen Suicide and Depression” on Monday, March 14 at 6:45 p.m. at Riverwood High School, located at 5900 Heards Drive in Sandy Springs.

Depression is currently one of the most serious behavioral issues facing adolescents today. As many as one in every eight teens may suffer from its effects. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for fifteen to twenty-four year-olds. The number of attempted suicides is even higher. It is essential that all adults who come in regular contact with adolescents be able to recognize the signs of depression, because treatment is much more effective with early intervention. Even if a parent does not suspect depression in his/her own child, it is important to be able to identify it in friends, neighbors, and other family members. Adults in a community must work to overcome the stigma attached to mental illness and reach out to one another by forming an open forum for communication on this topic.

The North Atlanta Parent Council, a consortium of concerned parents representing seventeen private and public schools in North Atlanta will sponsor this event. They are grateful to Dr. Jaffe, who attended John Hopkins University and Albert Einstein Medical School and has been a director of child and adolescent psychiatric programs for over twenty years, for his commitment to community awareness. Dr. Jaffe was a pioneer in the development of a model for treating substance abuse in adolescents and is considered an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of early onset bipolar disorder. Dr. Jaffe is an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, received the President’s award of Community Psychiatric Centers and was named Psychiatrist of the Year by the Georgia Psychiatric Physician’s Association in 1992. He is currently in private practice in Atlanta.

For more information, contact Riverwood High School Parent Education Chair and AIS Love and Logic facilitator Sara Robinson Chambless, at homesara@comcast.net.