Suicidal Behavior in Children and Adolescents With Mental Retardation

This study examined the existence of suicidal behaviour among 90 consecutive admissions to a specialty unit for dually diagnosed children & adolescents in a children’s psychiatric hospital. Suicidal behavior was a presenting complaint upon admission or during hospitalization for 19 patients. Suicidality was distributed across gender, level of mental retardation & psychiatric diagnosis. Results suggest that suicidal behavior is an underrecognized, yet significant phenomenon, among these children.