Suicide prevention in pediatric health care settings

Given recent trends demonstrating increased suicide risk among youth, particularly those from minoritized populations, youth suicide is a major public health concern. Evidence-based practices for the identification and management of youth suicide risk have been developed, yet many challenges exist to implementing them routinely in health care settings. Suggestions for leveraging publicly available resources, gathering […]

Neurodevelopmental disorders and suicide: A narrative review

Specific risk factors for self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) may differ from those in the general population within this age range. In the present review paper, we conducted a narrative analysis of the literature, aiming to establish a connection between suicide and affective disorders in children and adolescents with […]

“Where are the pediatricians in all this?”: Family perspectives on the role of pediatricians in mental healthcare and suicide prevention

Rising rates of youth anxiety, depression, and suicide mean that pediatricians are increasingly likely to encounter children struggling with their mental health in their clinical practices. Despite pediatric professional organizations encouraging pediatricians to contribute more to mental healthcare and suicide prevention, research on the role of pediatricians and whether families consider them a resource is […]

Racial and gender disparities in suicide and mental health care utilization in a pediatric primary care setting

Purpose: We examined racial and gender disparities in the underrecognition of mental health disorders in adolescents and young adults as defined by a suicide-related diagnosis without a previous mental or behavioral health diagnosis. Methods: We employed a series of adjusted mixed multilevel logistic regression models to determine the odds of specific mental health diagnoses (anxiety, […]

Improving youth suicide risk screening and assessment in a pediatric hospital setting by using the Joint Commission Guidelines

Objectives: Hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) are now required to use a validated screening tool and a standardized method for assessment of suicide risk in all behavioral health patients. Our aims for this study were (1) to implement a TJC-compliant process of suicide risk screening and assessment in the pediatric emergency department (ED) and […]

Analyzing trends in suicide attempts among the pediatric population in the United States: A study using CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) database

Background: Suicide is a significant public health concern among the pediatric population in the United States. This study aims to comprehensively analyze suicide attempts among adolescents using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Methods: The pediatric population of grades 9-12 students (13-17 […]

The association of pediatric emergency medicine physicians’ self-identified skills in suicide risk assessment and management with training in mental health

Objective: Because changes to pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) education may help address barriers to youth suicide risk screening programs, this study aimed to understand the impact of formal training in areas that likely include suicide-related practices, developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) and adolescent medicine (AM), on PEM physician-perceived level of training, attitudes, and confidence assessing and managing youth […]

The use of analgesics for intentional self-poisoning: Trends in U.S. poison center data

In the U.S., intentional self-poisonings with analgesics that are available without a prescription increased from 2000 to 2018. Given concerns regarding mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined and compared trends in pediatric and adult intentional self-poisoning with acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen from 2016 to 2021 using the National Poison Data System […]

Treatment of pediatric behavioral health patients with intravenous and instramuscular chemical restraints: Results from a nationwide sample of emergency departments

Background: Behavioral health crises in pediatric emergency department (ED) patients are increasingly common. Chemical restraints can be utilized for patients who present imminent danger to self or others. We sought to describe the use of intravenous (IV)/intramuscular (IM) chemical restraints for pediatric behavioral health ED patients across a nationwide sample of hospitals and describe factors associated […]

Follow-up after pediatric mental health emergency visits

Objectives: To examine how outpatient mental health (MH) follow-up after a pediatric MH emergency department (ED) discharge varies by patient characteristics and to evaluate the association between timely follow-up and return encounters. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 28 551 children aged 6 to 17 years with MH ED discharges from January 2018 to June 2019, […]

Pedianomics: The social return on investment in improving the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents

The report is a comprehensive assessment of the past 5 years of investments in the lives of 8 million young Canadians, making the case to put children first during budget planning. The report presents new data on the multi-billion dollar impact of the recent tripledemic pediatric crisis and lack of progress in improving children’s health, with […]

Preteen suicide risk clinical pathways for pediatricians: Special recommendations

We are in a youth mental health crisis that includes unprecedented and staggeringly high rates of suicidal ideation and behaviors in preteens. Because the majority of children and preteens attend well-child  primary care visits, equipping pediatricians with brief and effective suicide screening and assessment skills is a priority for youth suicide prevention and management. Current […]

An examination of factors contributing to the racial disparity and disproportionality of paediatric firearm-related homicide: A mixed-methods analysis using the national violent death reporting system (NVDRS)

Firearms are a leading cause of paediatric mortality in the United States. This study examines the contributing factors of racial disparity and disproportionality among paediatric firearm decedents aged 0–17 years. We used the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) to assess the individual and incident-level circumstances of paediatric firearm homicides from 2014 to 2018 in […]

Gender dysphoria in pediatric and transitional-aged youth hospitalized for suicidal behaviors: A cross-national inpatient study

Objective: Our study aims to demarcate the sociodemographic differences in pediatric patients hospitalized for suicidal behaviors and struggling with gender dysphoria. Additionally, we evaluated the demographic factors and comorbidities that are predictive of gender dysphoria in patients with suicidal behaviors. Methods: We included 319,430 patients (aged 6–24 years) with suicidal behaviors and a primary psychiatric diagnosis (per ICD-10 criteria) […]

Comparison of paediatric emergency department visits for attempted suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background There is a lack of consensus about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents. We aimed to compare rates of paediatric emergency department visits for attempted suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation during the pandemic with those before the pandemic. Methods For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we […]

Pediatric suspected suicides and nonfatal suicide attempts reported to United States Poison Control Centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction This study investigated the characteristics and compared the trends of pediatric suspected suicide and nonfatal suicide attempts reported to United States (US) poison control centers (PCCs) before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An interrupted time series analysis using an ARIMA model was conducted to evaluate the trends of suspected […]

Trends in positive depression and suicide risk screens in pediatric primary care during COVID-19

Objective: Adolescent mental health concerns increased during COVID-19, but it is unknown whether early increases in depression and suicide risk have been sustained. We examined changes in positive screens for depression and suicide risk in a large pediatric primary care network through May 2022. Methods: Using an observational repeated cross-sectional design, we examined changes in depression and […]

Increasing trend in violence-related trauma and suicide attempts among pediatric trauma patients: A 6-year analysis of trauma mechanisms and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. During the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19), different trends for pediatric trauma (PT) were described. This study aims to explore the trend over time of PT in our center, also considering the effects of COVID-19, focusing on trauma mechanisms, violence-related trauma (VRT) and […]

The changing face of abuse cases in a pediatric intensive care unit: A single-center experience

Background: Due to the increase in abuse and neglect cases in recent years, the purpose of this study was to assess child abuse and neglect of patients who were hospitalized and followed up in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: A total of 34 abuse and neglect patients who were admitted to the PICU from August […]

Utilizing suicide risk screening as a prevention technique in pediatric medical settings (IN: Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention, edited by J.P. Ackerman & L.M. Horowitz)

Suicide risk screening for youth in medical settings, especially in primary care, is supported and encouraged by The Joint Commission, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Implementing suicide risk screening and assessment with evidence-based tools can enhance feasibility of screening programs without overburdening busy systems of care. This […]

Suicide and suicidal behaviors among minoritized youth

Suicide is among the leading causes of death for American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, black, Hispanic, and multiracial youth. Although recent data suggest increasing trends in  suicide and suicidal behaviors among minoritized populations, limited research is available to understand these trends. Emerging data regarding suicidal ideation, attempts, and suicide deaths suggest increasing  trends among […]

Assessing suicide risk in a pediatric outpatient behavioral health system: A quality improvement report

Introduction: Standardized suicide risk assessment improves the detection of individuals at risk of suicide. We conducted a quality improvement initiative in a system of outpatient behavioral health practices affiliated with a free-standing children’s hospital to implement standardized suicide risk assessment for new patients. Methods: Clinicians received education in suicide risk assessment and were trained to […]

Pediatric suicides reported to U.S. poison centers

Introduction As the pediatric mental health crisis worsens, the rate of adolescent suicide-related cases is increasing, including adolescent cases of self-poisoning. Methods Data from the National Poison Data System was analyzed for trends in rates and frequencies of all pediatric suspected suicides between 2015 and 2020. Results There were 514,350 pediatric suspected suicides analyzed, with […]