Differences Between Adolescent Suicide Attempters and Depressed Adolescents

Most of the characteristics differentiating adolescent attempters & nonattempters did not have discriminative power when 48 recent attempters were compared with 66 depressed adolescents. Compared with the depressed group, attempters lived in more problematic circumstances, & had a cognitive style which promoted a more negative evaluation of events & situations. A psychological interpretation is given of the dynamics leading to a suicide attempt. Intervention stategies are also discussed.