The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including with new information specifically addressed to individuals in the European Economic Area. As described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences.

Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.

×
ArticlesNo Access

Health Diagnoses and Service Utilization in the Year Before Youth and Young Adult Suicide

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220145

Objective:

Suicide rates among young people are rising. Health care visits provide opportunities for identification and intervention, yet studies have been limited by small or circumscribed samples. This study sought to expand the knowledge base by examining health care encounters and diagnoses among young people who later died by suicide.

Methods:

This case-control study examined diagnoses of mental and general medical disorders and health care utilization in the 30 and 365 days before suicide death in nine large U.S. health care systems. Data (years 2000–2015) from 445 suicide decedents ages 10–24 years were matched with data from 4,450 control group patients.

Results:

Suicide decedents were more likely to have at least one mental disorder diagnosis (51% vs. 16%; adjusted OR [AOR]=5.74, 95% CI=4.60–7.18) and had higher rates of nearly all mental health conditions. Substance use disorders were common (12%) and more likely (AOR=8.50, 95% CI=5.53–13.06) among suicide decedents. More than one in three (42%) suicide decedents had a health care visit in the month before death, and nearly all (88%) had a visit in the previous year.

Conclusions:

Despite the greater likelihood of suicide associated with mental disorder diagnoses, such disorders were present among only 51% of suicide decedents. High rates of health care utilization among suicide decedents indicate a need for improving identification of mental health conditions and suicide risk across the health care system. Increased substance use screening may help identify youths at high risk because substance use disorders were significantly more prevalent and likely among suicide decedents.

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.