Suicide in adolescence: Risk factors, depression and gender

Abstract

This paper discusses adolescent suicide risk factors as well as epidemiologic characteristics of adolescents who attempt or commit suicide from a developmental perspective. Through a non-systematic review of literature from national and international studies about the subject, some risk factors to adolescent suicide behavior were identified such as mental illnesses, alcohol/drug use, exposure to violence, family conflicts, family history of suicide and stressful experiences. Furthermore, gender differences were observed: suicide attempts are more common among girls, but suicide rates are higher among boys because they use more aggressive means in their attempts. Among the major risk factors, depression stands out as having a key role in the development of thoughts and behaviors of death. Knowing suicide behavior dynamics can be a relevant step for planning prevention program.

Key words: suicide, adolescent, risk factors, depression.