Faculty

David A Brent, MD

Endowed Chair in Suicide Studies and Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Clinical and Translational Science

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Phone 412-246-5596
Email
Website
Star Center
IMPACT
Assistant
Jamey Covaleski
covaleskijj@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
Jefferson Medical College Medicine
MSHyg
University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health Epidemiology
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMCGeneral Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania Cognitive Therapy InstituteCognitive Therapy
Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic of UPMCPsychiatric Epidemiology

Selected Honors & Awards

Morselli Medal, International Academy of Suicide Research
Ruane Prize, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders
Top 10 Advancements and Breakthroughs in 2016, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Research Interests

Adolescent mood disorders and suicidal behavior; Bereavement, mental and physical health sequele; Clinical trials and therapeutics
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Brent DA, Perper JA, Goldstein CE, Kolko DJ, Allan MJ, Allman CJ, Zelenak JP. Risk factors for adolescent suicide. A comparison of adolescent suicide victims with suicidal inpatients. Arch GenPsychiatry. 1988;45:581-588.
  2. Brent D, Emslie G, Clarke G, Wagner KD, Asarnow JR, Keller M, Vitiello B, Ritz L, Iyengar S, Abebe K,Birmaher B, Ryan N, Kennard B, Hughes C, DeBar L, McCracken J, Strober M, Suddath R, Spirito A,Leonard H, Melhem N, Porta G, Onorato M, Zelazny J. Switching to another SSRI or to venlafaxinewith or without cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents with SSRI-resistant depression: theTORDIA randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;299:901-913.
  3. Brent DA, Melhem NM, Oquendo M, Burke A, Birmaher B, Stanley B, Biernesser C, Keilp J, Kolko D, Ellis S, Porta G, Zelazny J, Iyengar S, Mann JJ. Familial pathways to early-onsetsuicide attempt: a 5.6 year prospective study. JAMA Psychiatry. Feb 2015;72(2):160-168.
  4. Brent D, Melhem N, Donohoe MB, Walker M. The incidence and course of depression inbereaved youth 21 months after the loss of a parent to suicide, accident, or sudden natural death. Am J Psychiatry. 2009;166:786-794.
  5. Brent DA, Brunwasser SM, Hollon SD, Weersing VR, Clarke GN, Dickerson JF, Beardslee WR, Gladstone TR, Porta G, Lynch FL, Iyengar S, Garber J. Effect of a cognitive-behavioralprevention program on depression 6 years after implementation among at-riskadolescents: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psych. 2015;72(11):1110-1118.

Clinical Interests

Adolescent depression; Suicidal behavior; Mild traumatic brain injury
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Brent DA, Poling K. Cognitive Therapy Manual for Depressed and Suicidal Youth. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh; 1997.
  2. Poling K, Brent DA, Birmaher B. Understanding and Coping with Bipolar Illness: A Survival Manual for Families. Pittsburgh: WPIC; 1998.
  3. Kerr MM, Brent DA, McKain B, McCommons PS. Postvention Standards Manual - A Guide for a School's Response in the Aftermath of a Sudden Death. Pittsburgh:University of Pittsburgh; 2010.
  4. Brent DA, Poling K, Goldstein TR. Treating Depressed and Suicidal Adolescents: A Clinician's Guide New York: Guilford Press; 2011.

Education Interests

Teaching about adolescent suicide & behavior; Supervision of child psychiatry residents; Mentoring medical students, residents & postdocs

New Research in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Examines Family Functioning in Offspring of Bipolar Parents

Birmaher & Colleagues JAACAP 2019

For people living with bipolar disorder, challenging family relations can both result from and aggravate the disorder’s symptoms. Existing studies that examine the family environment of young people with familial risk for bipolar disorder have not distinguished whether stressors—such as high rates of conflict—are uniquely related to this disorder or are similarly experienced by families affected by other, non...

Now In JAMA Psychiatry: Severity and Variability of Depression in Predicting Suicide Attempt in High-Risk Individuals

Dr. Nadine Melhem

The ability to predict suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients is one of the most challenging and high-stakes aspects of clinical practice. However, psychiatric diagnoses are of limited value for prediction because the risk for suicidal behavior can vary substantially over the course of a psychiatric illness. Researchers including University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry investigators Nadine Melhem, PhD...

Brent and Colleagues Test New Smartphone-based Intervention to Reduce Suicide Attempts by Teens Following Hospital Discharge

Brent et al. American Journal of Psychiatry 2018

Adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior have shown dramatic increases in the past decade, making suicide the second leading cause of death in this age group. The standard practice is to hospitalize adolescents at highest imminent risk for a suicide attempt, but the risk for suicidal behavior is highest within the first three weeks after discharge. Currently there are no interventions designed to decrease the risk...

In Longest and Most Detailed Study of Pediatric Grief Following Parental Loss to Date, Department Researchers Find Increased Rates of Depression and Functional Impairment

Drs. David Brent and Nadine Melhem

The death of parent is an incredibly stressful event for a child, and one that can have profound consequences for the child’s future wellbeing. However, little is known about the specific long-term impact of parental loss because these types of studies are challenging to conduct. Pitt Department of Psychiatry researchers recently completed a seven-year prospective examination of pediatric grief following parental...