Hospitalization in a Pediatric Ward of Adolescent Suicide Attempters Admitted to General Hospitals

It is hypothesized adolescent suicide attempters might receive superior treatment in a pediatric unit than in other inpatient settings. In order to examine the hypothesis, sociodemographic & psychosocial characteristics of patients admitted to pediatric wards were compared with those admitted to other deparments. Data was taken from a survey of 430 adolescents, aged 13-19 years, hospitalized following a suicide attempt. Findings showed that for a similar psychosocial profile, pediatric units contact the family doctors more often & proposed a more extensive follow-up. The role in patient management of depression, family, social & school problems is also discussed. Pediatric wards appear to show better performance in the care of adolescent suicide attempters. (39 refs.)