title: Pediatric emergency department suicidal patients: two-site evaluation of suicide ideators, single attempters, and repeat attempters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reducing youth suicide and suicide attempts are national priorities. Suicidal youth emergency department (ED) patients are at high risk for repeat and fatal attempts, yet information is lacking to guide service delivery. In one of the largest clinical studies of youth ED patients presenting with suicidality, we examine ideators, single attempters, and repeat attempters with the aim of clarifying optimal strategies for ED management and risk assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutively admitted suicidal youths (10-18 years) from two EDs (N = 210) completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic, clinical, service use, and environmental stress variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite differences in background characteristics, high levels of depression, externalizing behavior, posttraumatic stress symptoms, substance use, and thought problems were observed across sites. Suicide attempt risk, defined along a continuum ranging from ideation to single attempts to repeat attempts, was predicted by higher levels of clinical symptoms, service use, and environmental stress. Specific stresses associated with increased suicide attempt risk were romantic breakups, exposure to suicide/suicide attempts, and pregnancy in self or partner. Significant predictors of attempt risk in the male-only subgroup were depression, thought problems, previous ED visits, and romantic breakups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pediatric ED patients presenting with suicidal ideation, single attempts, and repeat attempts fall along a continuum of increasing risk. Suicide attempt risk in males is associated with high levels of depression, but not with increased treatment rates, suggesting undertreatment in males, a group with particularly high risk for death by suicide. Treatment barriers must be addressed to achieve our national goal of reducing suicide/suicide attempts in youths.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, USA. jasarnow@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Joan Rosenbaum
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Asarnow
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Baraff
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berk
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grob
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devich-Navarro
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suddath
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.forename: Lingqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*