[Suicidal behavior in adolescents. Risk factors (bibliography review and descriptive-analytical study)].
In the United States suicide is the third cause of death among adolescents. Suicidal behavior has increased a hundred percent over the last three decades; it is one of the most frequent psychiatric emergencies and the first cause of admission among inpatients between 15 and 24 years.


OBJECTIVE
This paper is divided in two parts. The first one is made up of a review about risk factors for suicidal behavior in adolescents. The objective of the second part study is to estimate the frequency of risk factors for suicidal behavior in a sample of inpatients and to correlate them with high lethality suicidal attempts.


METHODS
This is a retrospective, observational, descriptive, analytic transversal study based on information from 23 medical records. Variables were processed by bivariated analysis; relative risk was obtained considering high lethality suicidal attempt as dependent variable.


RESULTS
Statistically significant relationships were found between high lethality suicidal attempt and no Axe II diagnosis and with the appearance of hopelessness.


CONCLUSIONS
Suicidal attempts in adolescents with an Axe II diagnosis could be more related to self-harming than to a wish to die. Hopelessness can be considered an independent variable that determines the lethality of the suicidal attempt.
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Ciudad de Buenos Aires. carovairo@hotmail.com
María Carolina
MC
Vairo
Martín
M
Ruiz
María Florencia
MF
Blanco
Daniel
D
Matusevich
Carlos
C
Finkelsztein
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012961:Sociology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*