Suicide Attempts in Adolescence: Prevalence and Implications

Abstract

To the Editor: Each year more than 12 of every 100,000 youths between the ages of 15 and 24 commit suicide.¹ It is estimated that 5 to 15 times as many adolescents make suicide attempts each year. The actual prevalence of suicide attempts among adolescents remains unknown. Previous research^{2 , 3} suggests that 1.1 to 3 per cent of the general population has actually made a suicide attempt. These studies, which were conducted in the 1970s among older adolescent and adult populations, were not concerned with adolescents alone.In the psychiatric literature, many articles have been published that reflect our efforts to . . .