[Life-threatening behaviors, suicide, attempted suicide and self-inflicted injury]

In France, suicide is the second cause of death among young people. Each year, 550 people under 25 years of age take their own lives, and at least 40,000 attempt suicide. One in three young people who attempt suicide relapse during the following year. A related concern is at-risk behavior, particular on the roads (vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among young people). Death by suicide is three times more frequent among boys than girls, because of diferences in the methods used (hanging or gunshot, in seven out of ten cases), whereas attempted suicide is three times more frequent among girls than boys and involves drug overdose in nine out of ten cases. Better screening of young people at risk is urgently required The author proposes easily recognizable risk factors that he and Marie Choquet (Inserm) identified through a study conducted in schools. These factors are not always recognized by professionals who deal with adolescents. Regarding hospital management, the author advocates a well-defined assessment period to determine the reasons for the crisis, interposed between the initial evaluation and the choice of the most appropriate therapeutic option.