Abstract
Youth suicide is a major global mental health problem. This review looks at the epidemiology, risk and protective factors associated with youth suicide, and global strategies to address this important issue. To better understand factors contributing to youth suicide, global gender differences in suicide were examined. Global rates of suicide amongst young men are higher than young women. However, there are anomalously higher rates of female youth suicide in India and China, and possible causes of this are examined further. It is likely that underestimation of youth suicide is a major factor affecting the accuracy of suicide epidemiology. Risk factors for youth suicide are varied. Psychiatric factors include various psychiatric illnesses, substance use (particularly amongst refugee and homeless youth). Psychosocial risk factors include family conflict, physical and sexual childhood abuse, isolation, socioeconomic disadvantage, discrimination and acculturation. Vulnerable populations are at increased risk, including refugee/immigrant/indigenous youth, those in foster care and homeless youth. Protective factors can include family cohesion and strong interpersonal relationships, as well as increased access to care. Global strategies to prevent youth suicide include reducing lethal means to suicide and reducing harmful media reporting. Various psychosocial interventions may be helpful, including individual support, and family, school and community based interventions. Strategies can also increase evaluation of psychiatric disorders and access to care, as well as promote psycho-education and reduce stigma against mental illness.
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©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Adverse effects of stimulant medications in children and adolescents: focus on drug abuse
- Short Communication
- Adolescent and parent perspectives prior to involvement in a Fontan transition program
- Reviews
- Adolescent suicide as a global public health issue
- (Health-related) quality of life and psychosocial factors in adolescents with chronic disease: a systematic literature review
- Original Articles
- Clustering of chronic diseases risk factors among adolescents: a quasi-experimental study in Sousse, Tunisia
- Blood, joy and tears: menarche narratives of undergraduate females in a selected in Nigeria Private University
- Renal lymphangiectasia treated with percutaneous drainage and sclerotherapy
- Trichotillomania in celiac disease patient refractory to iron replacement
- Metabolic syndrome in Iranian adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Looks can be deceiving: body image dissatisfaction relates to social anxiety through fear of negative evaluation
- Excessive exercise among adolescents with eating disorders: examination of psychological and demographic variables
- Diet quality of adolescents with eating disorders
- A picture of Indian adolescent mental health: an analysis from three urban secondary schools
- From child to grown up in a medical world: developing an adolescent transition programme at a Norwegian University hospital
- Household food insecurity and its association with morbidity report among school adolescent in Jimma zone, Ethiopia
- The effects of introducing Tabata interval training and stability exercises to school children as a school-based intervention program
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Adverse effects of stimulant medications in children and adolescents: focus on drug abuse
- Short Communication
- Adolescent and parent perspectives prior to involvement in a Fontan transition program
- Reviews
- Adolescent suicide as a global public health issue
- (Health-related) quality of life and psychosocial factors in adolescents with chronic disease: a systematic literature review
- Original Articles
- Clustering of chronic diseases risk factors among adolescents: a quasi-experimental study in Sousse, Tunisia
- Blood, joy and tears: menarche narratives of undergraduate females in a selected in Nigeria Private University
- Renal lymphangiectasia treated with percutaneous drainage and sclerotherapy
- Trichotillomania in celiac disease patient refractory to iron replacement
- Metabolic syndrome in Iranian adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Looks can be deceiving: body image dissatisfaction relates to social anxiety through fear of negative evaluation
- Excessive exercise among adolescents with eating disorders: examination of psychological and demographic variables
- Diet quality of adolescents with eating disorders
- A picture of Indian adolescent mental health: an analysis from three urban secondary schools
- From child to grown up in a medical world: developing an adolescent transition programme at a Norwegian University hospital
- Household food insecurity and its association with morbidity report among school adolescent in Jimma zone, Ethiopia
- The effects of introducing Tabata interval training and stability exercises to school children as a school-based intervention program