NCJ Number
192238
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 44-51
Editor(s)
Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
Date Published
January 2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the link between psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation by examining high-risk high school adolescents.
Abstract
Psychiatric diagnosis has been one factor that has been extensively investigated as a predictor of suicidality among adolescents. In this study, psychiatric diagnoses were examined independently to determine more accurately which psychiatric symptoms were related to severity of suicidal ideation. Both a dichotomous and continuous measure of psychiatric symptoms were used, as well as a comparison of their association to suicidal ideation. A sample consisted of 73 high-risk high school students, ages 14 to 18, offering descriptive diagnostic profiles of the adolescents. Psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Epidemiologic Version 5, and suicidal ideation was assessed using the modified Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Seventy-four percent of the adolescents in the sample received a psychiatric diagnosis with the most prevalent diagnoses being MDD (major depressive disorder). These results indicated that adolescents identified as exhibiting emotional disturbance had a high degree of psychopathology. The study supported the relationship between psychiatric disorder and suicidal behavior in adolescents. These results have direct implications for suicide research and clinical practice. Adolescents presenting with severe mood disorder symptoms should be closely assessed and monitored for suicidality. Tables and references