title: [When a Suicide Attempt is Kid's Stuff].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attempted suicide in children and adolescents is a disturbing and painful issue for patients, their families and physicians. Current medical literature provides little information about minors who attempt suicide, possibly because there is under-reporting of this condition as a diagnosis, or maybe because it is sometimes considered as a way for the child to draw attention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present the experience of the Department of Psychiatry (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) at the Hospital Infantil de La Misericordia, from 2003 to 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational retrospective study was conducted by reviewing 213 cases of children and adolescents treated for attempted suicide at the Hospital Infantil de La Misericordia from January 1, 2003 to October 31, 2013, and who received hospital or outpatient care in Child Psychiatry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A review was performed of the diagnosis, the number of suicide attempts, the peak months of consultation for this reason, and the methods selected, as well as a detailed description of the group of patients under 12 years old, and those managed with outpatient follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The average patient is a female teenager who becomes intoxicated with drugs. Most often, patients do not return to outpatient follow-up. Those with follow-up have multiple psychopathologies and a high level of suffering. The most common methods, other than poisoning by drugs, are hanging and jumping from heights. Patients under 12 years old generally have their first attempt by drug poisoning. There is a predominance of anxiety disorder and depression, with a strong association with cognitive dysfunction, as a vulnerability factor.
authors.affiliation: Psiquiatra de niños y adolescentes, profesor titular del Departamento de Psiquiatría, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: ravasquezr@unal.edu.co.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vásquez-Rojas
authors.affiliation: Residente de tercer año de Psiquiatría, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quijano-Serrano
keywords: Adolescentes; Adolescents; Attempted suicide; Child; Intento de suicidio; Niños