Suicide rates in the U.S. have risen dramatically over the past two decades, especially for youth and young adults. Dr. Gregory will review underlying causes of this crisis, limitations of our mental healthcare system’s response to it, and promising new developments. He will discuss the need to move from a chronic illness model to a recovery-based model and will share the results of an innovative recovery-based treatment program. He will summarize the barriers to wider implementation of effective interventions, and the need for consumer advocacy. The presentation will be followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. Brief Biography: Robert J. Gregory, M.D. is a Distinguished Service Professor and former Chairperson in the Department of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He is the developer of Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy (DDP), an evidence-based treatment used for chronic and severe conditions, such as depression, borderline personality disorder, addictions, and suicidality. He is the founder of Upstate’s Psychiatry High Risk Program, an innovative, recovery-based treatment model for suicidal youth and adults that uses DDP as its core treatment modality, designated by the U.S. Suicide Prevention Resource Center as “a best practice in suicide prevention”. It won the 2023 America Psychiatric Association’s prestigious Silver Award in Psychiatric Services for innovative and effective mental health care. Dr. Gregory has authored numerous empirical papers and conducts training nationally and internationally. His upcoming book at Guilford Press is “Resolving Therapeutic Dilemmas with Suicidal Clients: A Clinical Handbook”.