I want to kill myself
Suicide prevention is prioritised by WHO and is included as an indicator in the United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals draft fourteenth general programme of work, 2025–2028 (WHO, 3 May, 2024). The heterogeneity of the studies and diversity of the programmes, tools, standards of delivery and follow‐up times across the studies made it difficult to draw conclusions about the overall effectiveness of programmes. Studies from low‐ and middle‐income countries could not be identified, and very few studies mentioned the contextualisation of programmes.
However, there was an absence of studies conducted https://sprc.org/resources/recover-together/ in low-middle income countries where large numbers of suicides occur, or with specific populations known to be at elevated risk of suicide, such as indigenous or same-sex attracted young people. Access to firearms is one of the biggest risk factors for youth suicide. It also calls for increased access to mental health care services and investment in research and public health initiatives aimed at preventing and treating mental health disorders in children and adolescents. The AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health is a critical call to action for addressing the mental health crisis facing young people in the United States, particularly in considering the alarming rise in suicide rates. Some factors that contribute to suicidal ideation and self-injurious behavior but not necessarily completed suicides are socioeconomic stressors, trauma, adverse childhood events, social media use and bullying. One study found that 66% of people that committed suicide within 30 days of seeing a healthcare professional denied suicidal ideation, and that 50% of this group committed suicide within 2 days after being seen .
Table 1.
Bullying, including cyberbullying, is a systemic issue in schools that significantly contributes to the risk of suicide. Academic pressure and an excessive focus on performance can lead to stress, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy among adolescents, particularly in competitive educational systems (Lee et al., 2024). Integrating mental health services into primary care and schools has shown the potential to improve access and outcomes (Miller-Graff et al., 2016). Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying is widespread and unavoidable, as it frequently occurs in spaces where adolescents seek connection, like social media platforms. Authoritarian parenting styles, characterized by strict rules and a lack of emotional warmth, often result in feelings of inadequacy and rejection among adolescents (Duan et al., 2022).
Make a safety plan
Youth suicide risk screening has the potential to save lives when implemented as one component of a clinical pathway that includes further assessment and referral for treatment. Suicide and suicide risk in adolescents. Emerging trends in adolescent suicide prevention research. A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for adolescents with depression.
- Indeed, the number and range of studies identified by this review is encouraging and reflects increasing investment and best practice internationally when it comes to youth suicide prevention.
- Although adolescents randomized to Project SAVE reported post-intervention improvements in self-hatred and desire to stop future NSSI, overall results suggested that improvements in longer-term suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury outcomes may require additional or more intensive approaches.
- As a result, the perspectives of the most vulnerable youths are frequently absent from the evidence base.
- In contrast to previously described therapeutic interventions, family-focused therapies constitute a widely heterogeneous group.
- Furthermore, the inconsistency of many results obtained to date emphasizes the increasing need for higher-quality intervention studies in teenagers.
- A meta-analysis found that 19% of children and adolescents develop significant post-traumatic stress after injury .
Screening for Depression, PTSD, and Suicide Risk
Given that suicide rates are highest post-school age , tertiary education facilities and workplaces are key settings for future suicide prevention efforts and greater evidence is required , . For example, three studies were conducted in Canada where the most common method of youth suicide is hanging . Our review identified few studies examining the effects of means restriction on young people, and those that did focused on firearm restriction. Evidence regarding the efficacy of interventions in community settings was mixed.