Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2018 Oct;48(5):601-612. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12386. Epub 2017 Aug 22.
Death by suicide is a significant cause of mortality among youth. However, there is limited information on the demographic and clinical factors associated with youth suicide deaths. The objective of this study was to link large statewide databases to describe demographic, clinical, and cause of death characteristics among youth who died by suicide. We examined 1,218 decedents under age 26 who died by suicie between 2000 and 2014. Eighteen died before age 12, 53 died between ages 12 and 14, 292 died between ages 15 and 18, and 855 died between ages 19 and 25. Most were male (83%), and firearm was most common cause of death; 28% previously attempted suicide, 31% had a mental health diagnosis, and 17% were prescribed psychotropic medication. Younger children died by hanging/smothering (89% of all 7- to 11-year olds), and overdose/poisoning increased progressively with age. Adolescents had a higher proportion of females than young adults (23% vs. 14%, p = .002). Combining data from the medical examiner and large hospital systems allows examination of youth suicide from a developmental perspective. Differences between age groups included gender, method, diagnosed mental illness, and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These data point to missed opportunities for effective interventions for specific developmental stages.
自杀是导致年轻人死亡的一个重要原因。然而，关于与年轻人自杀死亡相关的人口统计学和临床因素的信息有限。本研究的目的是将全州范围的大型数据库联系起来，描述自杀死亡的年轻人的人口统计学、临床和死因特征。我们检查了 2000 年至 2014 年间 1218 名年龄在 26 岁以下的自杀死亡者。18 人在 12 岁之前死亡，53 人在 12 至 14 岁之间死亡，292 人在 15 至 18 岁之间死亡，855 人在 19 至 25 岁之间死亡。大多数是男性（83%），枪支是最常见的死因；28%的人之前曾试图自杀，31%的人有心理健康诊断，17%的人服用精神药物。较小的孩子死于上吊/窒息（所有 7 至 11 岁儿童的 89%），而随着年龄的增长，过量/中毒的比例逐渐增加。青少年的女性比例高于年轻成年人（23%比 14%，p=0.002）。将法医和大型医院系统的数据结合起来，可以从发展的角度来检查年轻人的自杀问题。不同年龄组之间的差异包括性别、方法、诊断出的精神疾病和注意力缺陷多动障碍的诊断。这些数据表明，在特定的发展阶段，错过了采取有效干预措施的机会。
