Adolescent suicide: endpoint of long-term difficulties.

Characteristics of adolescent suicide victims (N = 53) were investigated in a nationwide study of suicides in Finland. The data were collected through interviews with the victims' parents and attending health care personnel and from official records. Four victims in 10 had shown antisocial behavior. One-third of the adolescents had previous suicide attempts, and 6 in 10 were known to have verbalized their suicidal thoughts. One-third of the victims had been in contact with a psychiatric care system. The results suggest that most adolescent suicides are an endpoint of long-term difficulties, and all suicidal tendencies among adolescents should be taken seriously.