Evaluating Iatrogenic Risk of Youth Suicide Screening Programs

Abstract

The President’s New Freedom Commission¹ and the Children’s Mental Health Screening and Prevention Act² recommend increased screening for suicidality and mental illness. The recent enactment of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act³ further supports the development of youth suicide prevention and intervention programs. Despite the proliferation of screening programs in recent years (eg, Signs of Suicide,⁴ TeenScreen⁵), the current debate about possible iatrogenic effects of other suicide preventive interventions,^6,7 and the belief that prevention programs may “spur troubled youngsters to try suicide,”⁸ the potential harm of screening for suicide remains unstudied.^9,10