[Attempted suicide in children: suicidal development (author's transl)].

This is a report about 21 children, aged 10 till 15 years, who were admitted between 1977--1980 in a children's hospital because of attempted suicide. Exploration of the psychosocial situation and psychological tests brought many common factors of the suicidal development; a nonfunctioning relationship among the members of the family was the basal cause of a disturbed development of personality. This was responsible for failure in school, what was the cause for further problems in the family. There were many signs and symptoms of a presuicidal situation in each case, but in no one this was recognized by family or school.