Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 3: Children and Mental Health
Overview of Mental Disorders in Children
Depression and Suicide in Children and Adolescents
Treatment
Suicide
Community-Based Suicide Prevention
Direct Case-Finding
Judging from the high response rate to surveys about suicidal attempts and
ideation (National Center for Health Statistics, 1997), adolescents will provide
accurate information about their own suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors if asked
directly in a nonthreatening way. A sensible approach to suicide prevention that
needs further study, therefore, is to screen systematically 15- to 19-year-olds
(the age group at greatest risk) for (1) previous suicide attempts; (2) recent,
serious, suicidal preoccupations; (3) depression; or (4) complications of
substance or alcohol use. Clearly, screening programs need to go beyond
identifying a teen with a high-risk profile. Youth identified in this way should
be referred for evaluation and, if necessary, treatment. Contingency
arrangements may need to be made to assist uninsured adolescents with help if it
is needed (Shaffer & Craft, 1999).
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