Youth suicidal behavior: assessment and intervention

In this article, the authors review the research on risk assessment of suicidal adolescents and describe the small body of randomized-clinical-treatment trials for this population. Research has yielded a fairly consistent set of direct and indirect risk factors for suicidal behavior in adolescents. The authors describe a variety of measures commonly used to assess these risk factors. Treatment studies targeting suicide are sparse for all ages. In the adult literature, evidence suggests clozapine, depot flupenthixol, lithium, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) are significantly more effective in decreasing suicidal behavior than placebo or Treatment as Usual. For adolescents, it is difficult to draw conclusions about treatment efficacy. In general, control conditions are just as effective at reducing suicidal behavior as experimental conditions. While some novel interventions for suicidal adolescents are described, there is a desperate need for more research to be conducted in order to advance this burgeoning field.