SUICIDALITY IN YOUTH POPULATIONS: DATA FROM A CONSULTATION SETTING.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents and young adults present elevated suicide risk, which remains a major public health concern. This study aims to characterize the clinical and psychosocial features of adolescents and young adults referred for psychiatric consultation after a suicide attempt.

Subjects and methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study at the University Hospital of Perugia, Italy, analyzing 72 patients aged 14-35 who received their first psychiatric evaluation during medical hospitalization. Patients were divided into two groups: those referred after a suicide attempt (SA group, n=36) and those referred for other psychiatric concerns (non-SA group, n=36). Data were extracted from structured consultation reports and included sociodemographic, clinical, and psychopathological variables. Bivariate analyses compared the two groups using appropriate statistical tests.

Results: Compared to the non-SA group, the SA group had significantly higher rates of unemployment, positive psychiatric family history, previous suicide attempts, insomnia prior to admission, anxiety symptoms with both psychic and somatic features, personality disorders, and mood stabilizer use. SA patients also showed lower cooperativeness during interviews and were more likely to be assessed with suicidal ideation. More than one third of SA patients were assessed as euthymic post-attempt.

Conclusions: Key clinical markers of suicide risk in youths may include unemployment, family psychiatric history, insomnia, anxiety with somatic and psychic features, and personality disorders. The clinical profile of suicide attempters suggests a possible contribution of bipolar spectrum diathesis and affective dysregulation. Early, multidimensional risk assessment and integrated intervention strategies in liaison psychiatry are essential to improve detection and prevention of suicidality in youth.