- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.2.1 Neuropsychiatric disorders
- 9.2.2 Specific developmental disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.3 Autism and the pervasive developmental disorders
- 9.2.4 Attention deficit and hyperkinetic disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.5 Conduct disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.6 Anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.7 Paediatric mood disorders
- 9.2.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder and tics in children and adolescents
- 9.2.9 Sleep disorders in children and adolescents
- 9.2.10 Suicide and attempted suicide in children and adolescents
- 9.2.11 Children's speech and language difficulties
- 9.2.12 Gender identity disorder in children and adolescents
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
Suicide and attempted suicide in children and adolescents
- Chapter:
- Suicide and attempted suicide in children and adolescents
- Author(s):
David Shaffer
, Cynthia R. Pfeffer
, and Jennifer Gutstein
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0221
Suicidal behaviour is a matter of great concern for clinicians who deal with the mental health problems of children and adolescents. The incidence of suicide attempts reaches a peak during the midadolescent years, and mortality from suicide, which increases steadily through the teens, is, in many countries, one of the leading causes of death at that age. This chapter starts with a historical review, and covers clinical features, assessment, classification of associated diagnoses, epidemiology, aetiology, course and prognosis, emergency treatment, and possibilities for prevention.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.2.1 Neuropsychiatric disorders
- 9.2.2 Specific developmental disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.3 Autism and the pervasive developmental disorders
- 9.2.4 Attention deficit and hyperkinetic disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.5 Conduct disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.6 Anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence
- 9.2.7 Paediatric mood disorders
- 9.2.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder and tics in children and adolescents
- 9.2.9 Sleep disorders in children and adolescents
- 9.2.10 Suicide and attempted suicide in children and adolescents
- 9.2.11 Children's speech and language difficulties
- 9.2.12 Gender identity disorder in children and adolescents
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry