Teen depression and suicide prevention: Standard treatment guidelines 2022

Suicide is the third leading cause of adolescent mortality in India and the fifth leading cause, globally. Every hour one child dies of suicide in India. Most adolescent suicides are impulsive. They commit suicide mainly by hanging, poisoning, drowning, and self-immolation. The important causes are family problems, break-up in romantic relationships, physical and mental illness, failure in examinations, poverty, bereavement, hero worship, unemployment, gender discrimination, and mental disorders. Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior is deliberate destruction or alteration of body tissue without suicidal intent. Adolescents indulge in NSSI to cope with mental distress, to secure attention and as a form of self-punishment. NSSI is a risk factor for suicide. Due to stigma attached to seeking mental healthcare and shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists, pediatricians are often the first point of contact in the healthcare system for adolescents.