Year: 2020 Source: Pediatrics. (2020). 145 (Supplement 2) S195-S203; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2056H SIEC No: 20200386

Youth suicide is a national and global public health crisis. Pediatricians can use primary and abstract
secondary prevention strategies to intervene with youth before or after the onset of suicidal
behaviors. Universal suicide risk screening programs can be used to identify youth in medical
settings who may otherwise pass through the health care setting with undetected suicide risk.
Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to help foster resilience in their young patients and
equip families of at-risk youth with safety plans and lethal means safety counseling.
Pediatricians on the frontlines of this critical public health crisis require education and
training in detecting suicide risk, managing those who screen positive, and connecting their
patients to much needed mental health interventions and treatments. Evidence-based suicide
risk screening and assessment tools, paired with interventions, are feasible and potentially
life-saving in the medical setting.