On 25 November, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) will host the final conference of the State Research Programme “Public Health” project, titled “Adolescent Mental Health Assessment – From Research Findings to Practical Solutions”. At the conference, researchers from RSU and Riga Technical University (RTU) will present new solutions for assessing adolescent mental health, including the early identification of depressive symptoms and suicide risk, and discuss opportunities for applying the research findings in healthcare.
The conference will take place on 25 November 2026, from 12:00 to 15:30, at the RSU Pharmaceutical Education and Research Centre, 21 Konsula Street, Riga.
Everyone interested is invited to attend the conference free of charge with prior registration: Registration for the VPP CAAT Project Final Conference
At the conference, researchers will present a set of adolescent mental health assessment tools developed and tested during the project, with more than 2,000 young people participating in their development and testing – both from the general population and those with clinically diagnosed depression or other mental health disorders. The research findings indicate that the new set of tools can help specialists assess adolescent mental health more comprehensively and identify potential risk factors in a timely manner. A computerised device combining psychological test results with measurements of additional parameters has also been developed within the project.
One of the conference topics will be the specific aspects of assessing depression in adolescents. During adolescence, mental health difficulties may manifest differently than in adults, so the use of assessment methods designed for adults may create a misleading impression of the risk of depression among young people. Particular attention will also be paid to recognising warning signs of suicide risk, as even in cases where the overall assessment of depressive symptoms is not high, responses indicating possible suicidal thoughts must not be overlooked.
The conference will also discuss the potential use of the new set of tools in healthcare, the economic burden of adolescent mental health disorders in Latvia, and the potential benefits of more accurate and timely identification of these disorders. During the project, researchers have also prepared proposals for updating clinical guidelines, algorithms and patient care pathways.
The study was carried out within the State Research Programme “Public Health”, funded by the Ministry of Health and administered by the Latvian Council of Science, as part of the project “Development of a New Computerised Assessment Method for Measuring and Monitoring Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes in Post-COVID Pandemic Conditions” (No. VPP-VM-Sabiedrības_Veselība-2023/6-0002). The project is implemented by Rīga Stradiņš University in cooperation with Riga Technical University and is led by Associate Professor Dr. med. Ainārs Stepens.
More information about the project: https://www.rsu.lv/projekts/jaunas-datorizetas-novertesanas-metodes-izstrade-pusaudzu-psihiskas-veselibas-iznakumu
