Minutes

Teen suicide rates have sharply increased in the last 15 years, especially among Black and Hispanic youth. Thus, it is important to identify those teens that need help and provide suicide interventions.  Psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatric medical personnel collaborated to compare two science-based screening tools to predict suicidal children and adolescents.  

They compared previously designed questionnaires: Ask Suicide Screening Questions and the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth to determine which instruments and items best-predicted suicidality among adolescents.  For a year, they recruited and assessed nearly 4000 adolescents coming to the Pediatric Emergency Room (ER) with psychiatric symptoms, having them fill out both questionnaires.  After 3 months they assessed 2700 teens who had suicide-related visits to the ER in those past 3 months.  

Results? Both instruments were equally useful in predicting suicidality. Yet for those in ER with psychiatric symptoms, the Computerized Adaptive Screening showed greater predictive validity.   

The question with the highest relationship to being suicidal, was “In the past few weeks, have you wished you were dead?”  If you suspect someone is thinking of suicide, ask empathetically. Teens will more likely talk with you and listen. Encourage seeking help together.