Absence or lack of mental health diagnosis can lead to suicide. Firearm suicide is the most common method for youth suicide.
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Youth Suicide and Preceding Mental Health Diagnosis
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‘Did You Know?
About 2 out of 3 suicides by firearms (the most common method for youth suicide) did not have a prior mental health diagnosis. #youthsuicide #FirearmSuicide #MentalHealth’
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About 2 out of 3 suicides by firearms (the most common method for youth suicide) did not have a prior mental health diagnosis. #youthsuicide #FirearmSuicide #MentalHealth’
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Timely Mental Health Diagnosis Saves Life
“We discovered that certain youth who died by suicide were less likely to have a documented mental health diagnosis, including those who used firearms, were of minoritized race or ethnicity, males, and children younger than 14 years of age,” said co-author Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS, emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Our findings point to the critical need to increase equitable access to mental health screening, diagnosis, and treatment for all youth.”Advertisement
Guns and Suicide: A Dangerous Combination
Dr. Hoffmann and colleagues found that two out of three suicides by firearms – the most common method used by youth in this study – lacked a preceding mental health diagnosis. The authors highlight the need to increase barriers to firearm access, especially given the impulsive nature of many youth suicides. They note that an estimated 22.6 million U.S.Advertisement
How to Prevent Firearm Suicide?
“To reduce the risk of youth suicide by firearms, counseling is needed to encourage parents to store firearms in the home safely. These messages should be delivered in community and school settings, in addition to doctors’ offices,” said Dr. Hoffmann. “Secure storage laws, also known as child-access prevention laws, have also been demonstrated to reduce firearm suicide rates, and more states need to enact this type of life-saving legislation.”Talking to Teens with Depression: Best Way to Prevent Suicide
Dr. Hoffmann also emphasized that to help prevent suicide, parents should talk more with their kids, especially with preteens and boys, about potential worries or distressing events kids might be experiencing.“Stressful life circumstances can be risk factors for youth suicide, even in the absence of a mental health diagnosis,” she added. “It is also important to bring preteens and teens in for a wellness check every year, so their pediatrician can screen for mental health issues.”
Reference:
- Youth Suicide and Preceding Mental Health Diagnosis - (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821655)
Source-Eurekalert