Da. Brent et al., SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH NO APPARENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32(3), 1993, pp. 494-500
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.