Service Use and Unmet Needs in Youth Suicide: A Study of Trajectories

Abstract

Objective: While 90% of suicide victims have suffered from mental health disorders, less than one-half are in contact with a mental health professional in the year preceding their death. Service use in the last year of life of young suicide victims and control subjects was studied in Quebec. We wanted to determine what kinds of health care services were needed and if they were actually received by suicide victims. Method:We recruited 67 consecutive suicide victims and 56 matched living control subjects (aged 25 years and younger). We evaluated subjects' psychopathological profile and determined which services would have been indicated by conducting a needs assessment. We then compared this with what services were actually received.Results: Suicide victims were more likely than living control subjects to have a psychiatric diagnosis. They were most in need of services to address substance use disorder, depression, interpersonal distress, and suicide-related problems. There were significant deficits in the domains of coordination and continuity of care, mental health promotion and training, and governance. Conclusions:Our results show that we need to urgently take action to address these identified deficits to prevent further loss of life in our young people. W W W Utilisation des services et besoins non comblés dans le suicide chez les adolescents : une étude de trajectoiresObjectif : Bien que 90 % des victimes de suicide aient souffert de troubles de santé mentale, moins de la moitié ont été en contact avec un professionnel de la santé mentale dans l'année précédant leur décès. L'utilisation des services dans la dernière année de vie des jeunes victimes de suicide et de sujets témoins a été étudiée au Québec. Nous avons voulu déterminer quels genres de services de soins de santé étaient nécessaires et s'ils ont été reçus en réalité par les victimes de suicide.Méthode : Nous avons recruté 67 victimes consécutives de suicide et 56 sujets témoins appariés et vivants (âgés de 25 ans et moins). Nous avons évalué le profil psychopathologique des sujets et déterminé quels services auraient été indiqués par une évaluation des besoins. Nous avons ensuite comparé ceci avec les services réels qui ont été reçus.

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Population‐based analysis of health care contacts among suicide decedents: identifying opportunities for more targeted suicide prevention strategies

“…Population‐based groups that differ based on the presence, type, frequency and recency of health care contacts prior to suicide represent potentially different suicide risk populations that would require different suicide prevention strategies. A better understanding of the socio‐demographic, clinical and suicide‐related differences between these groups can serve to inform the implementation and evaluation of targeted suicide prevention strategies.…”

Innovative Prospects for Suicide Prevention and Action Opportunities for the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Government of Canada

“…Using the same approach, case-control studies involving 67 adolescents and young adults were conducted under the direction of Dr. Johanne Renaud , Renaud et al, 2014. In the final year of life, those 14-to 25-year-olds who died by suicide were 8 to 63 times more likely to have depressive disorders, anxiety, or substance dependence than young people in the control group.…”