Child psychiatric symptoms in consecutive suicides among young people

Fifty-eight consecutive suicides, 42 men and 16 women, 15-29 years, were investigated by systematic, retrospective interviews with next-of-kin. Thirty-one subjects (53%), who committed suicide later in adolescence or young adulthood had anamnestic data of psychiatric symptoms before the age of 10 years and 14 (24%) had been in contact with child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient or inpatient care before the age of 18 years. This was equally common in males and females. Aggressive symptoms predominated. Eight of 42 (19%) males but no females were found to have indications of neuropsychiatric dysfunction such as childhood hyperactivity with aggressive rages. In early compulsory school years, there were signs of disciplinary problems and bad intellectual and social functioning. Child psychiatric symptoms may be interpreted as a risk factor for the process leading to suicide in adolescents and young adults.