Adolescent Suicide Attempts: a Follow-Up Study of Hospitalized Patients

In a study of 45 adolescent psychiatric hospital patients there were strong patterns of parental loss & marital disharmony. The teenagers school performance was uniformily poor. Precipitating cause for 2/3 of the group centered on loss of relationships. 2/3 of the group had attempted suicide prior to hospitalization & 42% attempted after discharge. Many of the participants remained unchanged after the teenagers returned home.