Follow-up Study of Adolescent Attempted Suicide in Israel

• NCJ Number: 197723
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 41 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 1342-1349
• Author(s): Ilana Farbstein M.D.; Anat Dycian M.A.; Doron Gothelf M.D.; Robert A. King M.D.; Donald J. Cohen M.D.; Shmuel Kron M.D.; Alan Apter M.D.
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on an evaluation of adolescents treated for attempted suicide in a general hospital emergency room prior to their induction into the army, comparing the outcomes with a control group and by gender of those receiving intensive psychiatric inpatient evaluation to those receiving emergency room treatment only.

Abstract

The outcomes of 216 adolescents 18- to 21-years-old, screened for military service at 16.5 years of age, who had been treated between 1987 and 1988 in a general hospital emergency room for attempted suicide, were compared to matched controls. The subjects were rated on cognitive/educational performance and psychosocial adaptation, psychiatric and psychological health diagnoses, and their military service performance between 1989 and 1992. It was found that females who had attempted suicide had more problems in the military than the controls, but overall their prognosis was good. However, it was found that male suicide attempters performed very poorly during their military service overall. Most differences between the adolescents who attempted suicide and the controls who did not were found to be in their military service performance and not in their cognitive and psychometric test performance. Based on these findings, it was noted that indications for intervention by means of general hospitalization of all adolescent suicide attempters for intensive psychiatric evaluations may not be justified and decision making should be evaluated based on gender differences. Tables include comparison of 216 military teenage suicide attempters and controls, comparison of 41 military male teenage suicide attempters and controls, comparison of 175 military female teenage suicide attempters and controls, and teenage suicide attempters who did and did not receive general hospital observation. References