Agenda

SESSION/SPEAKER/ABSTRACT

Engaging Black Youth to Better Understand & Address their Rise in Suicide Risk

Colleen Carpenter MA, MPH
Director, Stop Suicide Northeast Indiana

Tennisha N. Riley, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Family, Youth, and Community Sciences
University of Florida

The suicide rate among Black youth is rapidly increasing, unlike any other racial-ethnic youth group, quickly outpacing our relative and emerging knowledge on suicidality (e.g., suicidal thoughts and attempts). In order to address the gap in knowledge to be able to lower suicide risk among Black youth, we must understand how lived experience, especially around race and identity, and the history of marginalizing systems, influences suicide risk. The Allen County Black Youth Suicide Project was created to enage Black youth to examine the causes and consequences of disparities in suicide that are most relevant to them through the development of a Youth Ambassador Program (YAP). Youth are engaging alongside researchers and community partners to understand the lived experiences of Black youth, reflect on the cultural relevance of traditional measures of suicidality, conceptualize measures of suicide that best fit the experiences of Black youth, and discuss how to disseminate their knowledge to the broader community. This presentation will share the results of this unique program.

Supporting Youth with Mental Health Challenges

Melissa Helm, LMHC
Dir, Crisis Services Centerstone of IN

Kelly Benedict, LMFT
Clinical Documentation and Training Supervisor

Supporting Youth with Mental Health Challenges will provide an overview of disorders that may develop in youth including mental health and development disorders. This training will provide considerations for how to best respond to youth with these challenges. How a mobile crisis team might respond and provide support and when to reach out for a mobile crisis team will be addressed.

The Power of Policy: How Alcohol Regulations Shape Underage Drinking, Substance Use, and Mental Health

Lisa Hutcheson, MEd
Vice President, Prevention and Policy, MHAI
MHAI – IN Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking

This presentation delves into the critical role that alcohol policies play in shaping public health outcomes, particularly in the areas of underage drinking, substance use disorders, and mental health. By examining the relationship between legal frameworks and behavioral trends, the session explores how regulations can either mitigate or exacerbate these issues.

The “Fourth Wave” – The Rise of Stimulants and the Evolution of Polysubstance Use in America’s Fentanyl Crisis

B. Levi Bolin, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Clinical Affairs
Millennium Health LLC

America’s overdose epidemic is complex and has been broadly described as consisting of three “waves” that have involved prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl. More recently, a “fourth wave” of overdose deaths co-involving fentanyl with stimulants has emerged. To better address a growing and ever-changing overdose epidemic, timely sources of data that provide detailed insight into current drug use trends are needed. This cross-sectional analysis of fentanyl-positive urine drug testing (UDT) results derived from testing with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on more than 4.1 million unique patient specimens from across the U.S. had three objectives: (1) assess the correlation between UDT results and trends in fentanyl-related overdose mortality, (2) evaluate changes in the co-detection of prescription opioids (non-prescribed), heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine in fentanyl-positive specimens over time, and (3) provide insight into recent trends in polysubstance use among people who use fentanyl. The results showed that UDT data strongly and significantly correlate with overdose mortality for fentanyl (r = 0.96), fentanyl+opioids (r = 0.82), and fentanyl+stimulants (r = 0.98). National, regional, and state-level analyses revealed that stimulant detection has increased over time in fentanyl-positive specimens, especially for methamphetamine. In contrast, the detection of heroin and prescription opioids in fentanyl-positive specimens decreased substantially. In 2023, methamphetamine (60%) and cocaine (22%) were detected in fentanyl-positive UDT specimens more often than heroin (17%) and prescription opioids (7%) nationally and in nearly every state. Analysis of a wide range of other drugs revealed that nearly 93% of fentanyl-positive specimens in 2023 contained additional non-prescribed and illicit drugs including parafluorofentanyl (21%), prescription benzodiazepines (16%), xylazine (14%), gabapentin (13%), tramadol (3%), and carfentanil (0.09%). These findings show that UDT data correspond with overdose mortality trends and capture shifts in stimulant, heroin, and prescription opioid use among people who use fentanyl over time. Collectively, they suggest that people who use fentanyl engage in polysubstance use that now predominantly involves stimulants, but also spans an array of potentially dangerous drugs. Specific, state-level data on current drug use trends in Indiana will also be presented.

Prevention in Practice: Effective Strategies for Addressing Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Jackie Franks, MPH, CHES, CPS
Executive Director, Indiana Alliance on Prenatal Substance Exposure

As mental health professionals, we’re often focused on treating the effects of trauma, mental illness, and developmental challenges—but what if we could intervene earlier? This training will inspire you to rethink your role by focusing on prevention. Specifically, you’ll explore how preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies can reduce many of the public health crises we face today.

The CDC reports that one in seven pregnancies in the U.S. is exposed to alcohol, and prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). These lifelong conditions result in cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, and behavioral challenges. Individuals with FASD are at higher risk for mental health struggles, incarceration, and suicide. By equipping yourself with practical prevention strategies, you can address this root cause of many mental health and public health challenges, helping to create a healthier future for all Hoosiers. Join us in this vital training to protect future generations before the harm begins.

Supporting Youth Mental Health According to Youth

Indiana Youth Advisory Board Members: Amya Hilderbrand, Bethanie Majewski, Jayma Girdler, Kylie Rupe, and Emma Fisher.

The Indiana Youth Advisory Board is coordinated by Family and Social Services Administration Division of Mental Health and Addiction and the Indiana Department of Health Division of Maternal and Child Health.

DMHA staff supporting youth: Caitlyn Short
IDOH staff supporting youth: AJ Moon

The IYAB panel will introduce what the IYAB is and highlight its structure, purpose, and role. The panel will then share the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey data pertaining to youth mental health and suicide and answer prepared questions about how they see the data come to life in the real world, what supports and solutions and type of support they find to be most beneficial, why what organizations can do to help support youth mental health, and why incorporating youth voice into program development and implementation can make it more successful in reaching and supporting youth.

Family-Based Interventions for Youth Conduct Problems: Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and Beyond

Gabriela M. Rodríguez, PhD, HSPP
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Session will describe effective family-based interventions for youth conduct problems, with a particular focus on Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and its implementation in Indiana.

Youth “Bloom” Through Peer-to-Peer Support

Amelia Miller
Discovery Café Catalyst Coach (Youth Development & Training Manager), We Bloom

All young people deserve to be deeply known and loved. This is one of the guiding principles at Discovery Cafés across Indiana. Join us for a session exploring how peer-to-peer support in an inclusive, non-judgmental, empowering environment can be the key ingredient in helping young people achieve lasting recovery and overall well-being. Whether you work with a population seeking recovery from substance abuse, incarceration, homelessness, trauma, or other mental health challenges, or simply wish to give youth the greatest chance of thriving long-term, this session will help you understand the peer-to-peer support model and how to operationalize it so the young people you work with can truly “bloom”.

The Life You Save Could Be Your Own: Services and Supports for LGBTQIA Young People

Kenya Anderson
Senior Director of Client Services, IYG, BS

This session covers the many services available to young people at IYG and the importance of having these services available. This session will highlight that these supports and services are not a luxury, but necessary to not only improve, but save the lives of young people in the queer community that are at greater risk for suicide and depression, domestic abuse, drug related deaths, and HIV/AIDS. By providing the services we offer, we are empowering young people to make positive life impacting decisions from an informed perspective.

Peer Recovery Support Services for Young People in Recovery

Bailey Wisher, CSPR-PR, CAPRC ll, M.A.T.S
Indiana Recovery Network Peer Lead

Young People In Recovery (YPR) provides peer recovery support services for youth and young adults in recovery—or who are seeking recovery—from substance use disorder. By creating a national network of young people in recovery, YPR empowers young people to get involved in their communities and take charge of their futures. YPR embraces all pathways to recovery including 12-step, faith-based, harm reduction, medication-assisted treatment, and others.

Big Emotions in Young Children: How can you help support parents and caregivers with their child’s mental health?

Sarah Bailey, M. Ed, IECMH-E®, PMH-C
Director of Outreach and Training, INfancy Onward

Anne Gabbert, IMH-E®
INfancy Onward

How can you help promote social and emotional skills while working with families?

Positive relationships are critical for learning to happen. This session will look at how adult relationships impact the children we are around every day. Participants will consider and put into practice relationship building strategies with the families you are working with; both caregiver and child. We will discuss the importance of those positive relationships and how they impact children’s behaviors and all-around mental health.

The effects of perinatal cannabis use on the developing brain

Ken Mackie, MD
Indiana University, Bloomington

In the US, cannabis or its components (e.g., cannabidiol, CBD) are legal under state law in 47 states. Thus, cannabis is widely used for medical or recreational purposes across society, including by pregnant women. Currently, ~8% of pregnant women in the US use cannabis, with greater use in the first trimester. Epidemiological and preclinical studies find that the developing CNS is vulnerable to the harmful effects of cannabis, with most studies focusing on the detrimental effects of 9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Specifically, perinatal cannabis exposure (PCE) increases the risk for a range of later behavioral and cognitive challenges as well as the risk for developing psychiatric disorders.

This presentation will review the human studies leading to these conclusions and the preclinical studies that provide insight into potential mechanisms.