Comorbidity Patterns in Adolescents and Young Adults With Suicide Attempts

The role of comorbidity as a risk for suicide attempts was studied in a random sample of 3021 subjects aged 14-24 years. Of all suicide attempters, 91% had at least 1 mental disorder, 79% were comorbid or multimorbid respectively, & 45% had 4 or more diagnoses (only 5% of the total sample reached such high levels of comorbidity). Suicide attempters with more than 3 diagnoses were 18 times more likely to attempt than subjects with no diagnosis. The highest risk was in those with anxiety disorder.