Adolescent suicide in orthodontics: results of a survey

Suicide among adolescents is a psychosocial problem that confronts today's teenagers and society in alarming proportions. The wounds from this tragedy scar adolescents and their families both physically and emotionally. By virtue of a tradition for early treatment and the periodic nature of orthodontic care during critical psychologic development, the orthodontist is in a position to recognize early warning signs of adolescent suicide. A survey of 1000 practicing orthodontists and 54 department chairpersons of orthodontic postgraduate programs assessed the relevance of this issue to the profession, the nature of educational information previously and currently available in orthodontic curricula, and the frequency with which suicidal behavior is noted in orthodontic practice. Guidelines for recognition and intervention are provided. The results indicate that (1) adolescent suicide is of concern to orthodontists, (2) academic information has focused on the general aspects of psychology but not on the recognition and intervention, and (3) 50% of those surveyed have had at least one patient attempt suicide, whereas 25% have had a young patient actually commit suicide.