VKC member Jessica Schwartzman, Ph.D., serves as assistant professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Her research aims to characterize and treat depression and suicidality in neurodiverse youth and adults, and to investigate ways to foster youth, adult, and family resilience. Her goals are to identify intervention targets for neurodiverse youth and adults, apply personalized approaches to treatment, and to improve individual and family quality of life.
In the interview below, Schwartzman shares what inspires her research, what she has learned through her work, and how membership with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center helps her achieve her goals.
Tell us about your attraction to developmental disabilities research.
Over the years, my life has been enriched by personal and professional experiences with people with developmental disabilities. Personally, my younger brother and brother-in-law are autistic young men with diverse cognitive abilities and support needs. Their experiences of social rejection and acceptance affected many aspects of their lives, and that of our families, and these experiences shape much of my current research. Specifically, my work considers how social rejection and acceptance may amplify and/or prevent risk for depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and other adverse mental health outcomes among neurodivergent people. Importantly, I have been fortunate to work with talented autistic researchers and community members who are passionate about improving psychiatric care for neurodivergent people. I am immensely grateful for their collaboration; it is a cornerstone of my research program.
What are your current research interests and what challenges does it address?
Neurodivergent people are significantly more likely to experience depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors than the general population. Despite this, researchers and clinicians still remain in the dark about why this occurs and more importantly, how best to intervene and support this community. Therefore, my research program aims to fill these gaps by collaborating with autistic people and community members to improve depression and suicide risk detection and interventions for neurodivergent people. We hope to share this ongoing work with researchers and clinicians that serve neurodivergent people in order to improve their clinical care experiences. Furthermore, we hope to work with neurodivergent youth and their families to develop and share family-based interventions to enhance individual and family well-being.
Do you have a story about a research participant or a breakthrough that illustrates the impact of your work?
In collaboration with autistic researchers and community members, we developed an autism-adapted group therapy for autistic adolescents with depression. Autistic community members, including autistic parents, have contributed to many aspects of this work including intervention design, assessments, manuscript writing, and even facilitating groups. Across multiple cohorts, autistic adolescents and their families shared about the positive impacts of this intervention on youth and family quality of life. Adolescents shared that opportunities to spend time with other autistic adolescents in a group setting and to discuss autistic identity in a supportive environment were two highlights of this intervention. Preliminary findings suggest that this intervention is feasible, acceptable to families, and efficacious in improving adolescent depression symptom severity. We are encouraged by these early findings and look forward to continued work in adapting therapy approaches for neurodivergent people with depression.
What are your reasons for becoming a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) Member? How does the VKC enhance the work you do?
I joined the VKC to work with, and learn from, multidisciplinary researchers, clinicians, and community members who are focused on improving research and services for people with developmental disabilities. My membership at the VKC has proven to be an enriching experience for myself, my team, and our research and clinical endeavors more broadly. It is a delight to be connected to this incredible center and community.
