[Attempted suicide among adolescents--therapeutic possibilities in general practice and health and social services institutions].

The object of this investigation is to assess the incidence of suicide and attempted suicide in children and young adults (less than 25 years) and to describe the therapeutic possibilities available for young people with suicidal behaviour in the social and health sectors. The investigations consisted partly of interviews with representatives for the leaders for the institutions who accept persons with threatened suicide in the Municipality of Copenhagen and partly by a questionnaire sent to all general practitioners in the Municipality of Copenhagen (percentage of replies 67, n = 215). These investigations revealed that about half of all the doctors had been in contact with a young person with threatened suicide and that casualty departments and the social institutions admit approximately one threatened suicide per week. There are no taboos which prevent doctors from working with suicidal thoughts but only half feel competent to cope with these young people alone. Simultaneously, half of the doctors find that their possibilities for referring persons in crisis are unsatisfactory. They refer these cases primarily to their own profession. In the Municipality of Copenhagen, only the social sector can offer genuine help to young people in crisis although the supply cannot meet the needs to any extent.