BMJ  2005;330:891-894 (16 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.891

Clinical review

ABC of adolescence

Suicide and deliberate self harm in young people

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Deliberate self harm ranges from behaviours with no suicidal intent (but with the intent to communicate distress or relieve tension) through to suicide. Some 7%-14% of adolescents will self harm at some time in their life, and 20%-45% of older adolescents report having had suicidal thoughts at some time.

View larger version (32K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Suicide and undetermined deaths in England and Wales in 15-19 year olds and 20-24 year olds between 1968 and 2000. Data source: Office for National Statistics. Twentieth century mortality: 100 years of mortality data in England and Wales by age, sex, year and underlying cause. CD Rom. London: ONS, 2003.

 

Suicide

Suicide occurs relatively rarely under the age of 15 years, although prevalence is likely to be underestimated because of reluctance of coroners to assign this verdict. A large proportion of open verdicts ("undetermined cause") are, in fact, suicides. Suicide rates are far higher in male than female adolescents. Until the . . . [Full text of this article]

Deliberate self harm

Prevention

Assessment after self harm

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Treatment

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