Anthony Spirito
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior:
Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Phone: +1 401 863 6623
Phone 2: +1 401 863 6644
Anthony_Spirito@Brown.EDU
Anthony Spirito's current research interests focus on developing and testing new psychosocial treatments for adolescent substance use and adolescent depression/suicidal behavior.
Interests
Anthony Spirito's current research interests focus on adolescent substance use and adolescent depression/suicidal behavior. He recently completed work on a study in which he served as a site coordinator for a multisite, randomized controlled trial of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) alone or in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treatment-resistant adolescent depression (TORDIA) and has been an author on a number of recent publications that have emanated from that study. He also recently served as PI on a study examining the effectiveness of a family-based motivational interview versus an individual motivational interview for alcohol positive adolescents seen in the emergency department.
He is currently working on several treatment studies including one examining the effectiveness of family motivational interviewing on both an adolescent involved in an alcohol-related event and the noninvolved teenage sibling; a group counseling program for children who have a parent deployed overseas; a project testing whether treating a depressed parent in the same therapy protocol as a depressed asolescent results in better treatment outcomes for the adolescent; and a family motivational interview for prevention of substance use and abuse in middle school children being treated for psychiatric problems as they transition to high school. He also has a mid career award from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to mentor junior faculty in developing interventions for adolescents with comorbid substance use and suicidal behavior and to test these research interventions under natural conditions in community mental health clinics.
Degrees
PHD, ABPP
Awards
Outstanding Teaching Award in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry Brown Medical School, 1997-1998
Fellow, Society of Clinical Psychology Division 12, APA, 2001.
Fellow, Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, APA, 2001.
Research Mentor Award, Department of Psychiatry, Brown Medical School, 2001.
President, Society of Pediatric Psychology, 2002.
Fellow, Society of Pediatric Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2002.
Full Member (Fellow), International Academy for Suicide Research, 2003.
Martin P. Levin Mentorship Award, Society of Pediatric Psychology, 2005.
President, Section on Clinical Emergencies and Crises, Society of Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2009
President-Elect, Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association , 2010
Affiliations
American Psychological Association (APA)
Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, APA
Society of Pediatric Psychology, APA
Society of Clinical Psychology, APA
Association for The Advancement of Behavior Therapy
American Association of Suicidology
International Association for Suicide Prevention
International Academy for Suicide Research
Research Society on Alcoholism
Funded Research
ACTIVE
1 R34 MH082164 (Spirito) 8/01/09 – 6/30/12 7.5% (.9 calendar mos.)
NIMH $164,759
Mental health Intervention for Teens Coping with Parental Military Deployment
The purpose of this grant is to develop a manualized intervention protocol for adolescents experiencing mental health problems associated with a parent's deployment.
Role: PI
NEW
1 R34 MH- 082211 4/1/09 – 3/31/12 9.0% (1.1 calendar mos.)
NIMH $227,000
Concurrent Treatment for Parents and Adolescents Who Attempt Suicide
The purpose of this grant is develop and preliminarily test a CBT treatment protocol that can be used concurrently
with a depressed, suicidal, adolescent and a depressed parent.
Role: PI
NEW
1 R01 AA-017659 8/1/08 – 7/31/13 16% ((1.9 calendar mos.)
NIAAA $475,725
Effects of the Family Check-Up on Adolescents with Alcohol-Related Events and Their Siblings
The purpose of this grant is to compare the efficacy of the Family Check-Up to a psychoeducational program (Family Matters) in terms of its effects on alcohol and other drug-use in adolescents by an alcohol-related event and their teenage
siblings.
Role: PI
1 R21 DA-024207 7/1/08 – 6/30/10 11.5% (1.4 calendar mos.)
NIDA $125,000
Substance Abuse Prevention for Preadolescents with Psychiatric Disorders
The purpose of this project is to adapt and refine the Family Check-Up for use with young adolescents receiving psychiatric care for emotional/behavioral disorders, to help prevent the onset of alcohol and other drug use as they transition into adolescence.
Role: PI
2 K24 MH-01783-06-A1 (Spirito) 9/1/06 – 8/31/11 38% (5.4 calendar mos.)
NIMH $166,335
Midcareer Mentoring Award: Community Treatment of Teen Suicidal Crises
This competitive continuation of a Midcareer Mentoring Award allows the PI to receive additional training in practice research. A study of how adolescent suicide attempters with comorbid substance use disorders are treated in the community will be followed by testing an intervention for this population in the community.
Role: PI
2 T32 AA 007459-21 (Spirito) 7/1/06 – 6/30/11 5% (0.6 calendar mos.)
NIAAA $547,624
Alcohol Intervention/Treatment Outcome Research Training
This NIAAA funded T32 Postdoctoral training grant in Alcohol Treatment and Early Intervention Research is entering its 21st year. The program prepares behavioral, social, health care, and medical scientists to conduct high quality research in early intervention and treatment of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. The training program focuses on the development and implementation of on-site research under the supervision of trainee-selected faculty mentors.
Role: PI/Director
Curriculum Vitae
