Proximal Psychiatric Risk Factors for Suicidality in Youth: the Great Smoky Mountains Study

The objectives of this study were to characterize the proximal risks for suicidality associated with anxiety, depressive, disruptive behavior, & substance use disorders, & to test whether there are critical combinations of disorders that discriminate at-risk youth independent of severity of psychopathology. The study included an epidemiological sample of youth in the Great Smoky Mountains Study. Severity of symptom-related impairment & total symptom load explained most of the risk for suicidality associated with current psychiatric disorders. Only depression plus generalized anxiety disorder discriminated at-risk youth independent of severity of psychopathology.(52 refs.)