Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Suicidal Behavior

These guidelines review what is known about the epidemiology, causes, management, and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide in young people and present suggestions on how the clinician may interface with the community.

Abstract

These guidelines review what is known about the epidemiology, causes, management, and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide in young people. Detailed guidelines are provided concerning the assessment and emergency management of the children and adolescents who present with suicidal behavior. The guidelines also present suggestions on how the clinician may interface with the community. Crisis hotlines, method restriction, educational programs, and screening/ case-finding suicide prevention strategies are examined, and the clinician is advised on media counseling. Intervention in the community after a suicide, minimization of suicide contagion or imitation, and the training of primary care physicians and other gatekeepers to recognize and refer the potentially suicidal child and adolescent are discussed.