SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH NO APPARENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Objective: To delineate the characteristics of adolescent suicide vict ims with no apparent psychiatric disorder. Method: Seven adolescent su icide victims with no apparent disorder were compared with 60 suicide victims with definite or probable psychiatric disorder, and with 38 co mmunity controls with no psychiatric disorder. Results: Suicide victim s without psychiatric disorder, compared with the remainder of suicide s showed lower rates of past psychiatric treatment, previous suicide a ttempt, family history of affective illness, total life stressors over the previous 12 months, and a greater prevalence of the availability of a loaded gun in the home. The seven suicide victims compared with t he 38 psychiatrically normal community controls, showed a higher rate of familial psychiatric disorder, past suicidal ideation or behavior, legal or disciplinary problems in the past year, and firearms in the h ome, particularly those that were loaded. Conclusion: Even suicide vic tims without apparent psychiatric disorder still show some evidence of psychiatric fisk factors compared with community controls. However, p revention of suicide in this group is probably best achieved by restri ction of the availability of firearms, particularly loaded ones. The c linician should pay particular attention to suicidal risk in youth who are confronting legal or serious disciplinary crises and should take suicidal ideation seriously even in the absence of clear psychopatholo gy.