Suicidal Teens Plagued by Improper Treatment Strategies

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-09/suicidal-teens-plagued-by-improper-treatment-strategies.html

Most teenagers who commit suicide or attempt to do so have received mental health treatment, according to researchers who suggest these adolescents aren’t getting the right care to prevent such action.

Almost 1 in 8 teenagers have persistent suicidal thoughts, 4 percent make plans to commit suicide, and another 4 percent attempt to kill themselves, according to the largest study of suicidal behaviors in U.S. adolescents published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Most young people with suicidal behavior have pre-existing mental disorders, the research found.

Suicide is the third-highest cause of death among U.S. teenagers, after accidents and homicides. It accounted for 11 percent of deaths among U.S. youth ages 12 to 19 in 1999 through 2006, the most recent data available. Teenagers aren’t being served effectively by the mental health system and need better prevention strategies, the study authors wrote.

“Mental health professionals are not simply meeting with adolescents in response to their suicidal thoughts or behaviors,” the authors said. Although the research doesn’t show how many suicidal thoughts or behaviors may have been prevented by adequate therapy provided by mental health professionals, “it is clear, though, that treatment does not always succeed.”

[libodem]

1. Thank you xchrom

Most excellent post.

[xchrom]

2. ...