Suicide and Attempted Suicide in Young People (IN: Adolescent Medicine, edited by A Macfarlane)

There are many current issues in relation to suicide & attempted suicide in young people. Those considered in this chapter, focussing on people under age 25, include: recent changes in suicide rates, especially in the United Kingdom, & possible reasons for these; international differences in attempted suicide; issues concerning treatment of young suicide attempters, & current knowledge & research needs regarding their psychological characteristics; the important link between attempted suicide & subsequent suicide in the young; &, finally, possible strategies for prevention. (37 refs.)