Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents 15 to 19 years old.1 Pediatricians can help prevent adolescent suicide by knowing the symptoms of depression and other presuicidal behavior. This statement updates the previous statement 2 by the American Academy of Pediatrics and assists the pediatrician in the identification and management of the adolescent at risk for suicide. The extent to which pediatricians provide appropriate care for suicidal adolescents depends on their knowledge, skill, comfort with the topic, and ready access to appropriate community resources. All teenagers with suicidal symptoms should know that their pleas for assistance are heard and that pediatricians are willing to serve as advocates to help resolve the crisis.

Suicide attempt management among Turkish and American adolescents: A comparison of two pediatric emergency departments

“…At both centers, an approach based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Adolescence is applied from the prestudy period. According to this approach the adolescents who present to the EDs due to suicide attempts are divided by a child/adolescent psychiatrist into three groups, as mild-, moderate- and high-risk as follows [ 1 ].…”

“…Suicide attempt is an act that an individual knowingly and deliberately performs with the intent of causing self-harm and/or death [ 1 ]. According to World Health Organization data, approximately 800,000 people die each year from suicide and young people age 15–29 represent more than one third of these deaths [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…In the United States of America (USA) approximately 37,000 people die from suicide every year, representing 1.6% of all deaths, with an annual suicide rate of 13/100,000 [ 4 ]. Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths among all children and adolescents in the United States [ 1 , 4 ]. In Türkiye, the suicide rate appears lower compared to other countries, with an annual suicide rate of 4/100,000, representing 0.8% of all deaths, however this rate tends to increase [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Youth suicide prevention in primary care: A model program and its impact on psychiatric emergency referrals.

“…Despite the well-identified and long-standing need for intentional integration of behavioral health specialty services in the medical setting, penetration into practice has been low (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000). Elements of behavioral health integration are starting to emerge in primary care.…”