In study of hospitalized suicidal youth, account of 16-year-old girl, diagnosed as schizophrenic, is analyzed to gain insight into family's role in suicidal career of adolescent preoccupied with death and dying, sleep, and drugs; the interplay of her construction of reality with her risk-taking, self-injurious way of life; and her perceived…

Examined relationship between social integration on young Canadians' (aged 15-29) suicide rate for 1971 and 1981: family integration (divorce), religious integration (no affiliation); and economic anomie (unemployment). Findings support hypothesis that religious detachment among young is associated with increased proneness to commit suicide.…

Presents case study of 44-year-old male admitted to acute psychiatric unit and diagnosed as having chemical dependency, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and major depression. Following description of the case, comments are given by Candace Coggins, clinical specialist, and Jane Zibelin, Director of Nursing, and by Lois…

Twelve adolescents who described themselves as depressed or suicidal and 43 nondisturbed adolescents read article about child's suicidal or viral illness death. Both groups viewed suicidal child and family more negatively than family and child with viral illness. Consistent with false consensus hypothesis, psychologically disturbed adolescents…

College students (n=150) completed Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire and self-report inventories of depression, hopelessness, social desirability, and anxiety. Found significant correlations between self-report instruments and suicidal behaviors. Findings may be a result of the fact that anxiety and depression are often found together in clinical…

Student suicide is a most painful and potentially disruptive event. All schools need a crisis plan that will shore up students and faculty, provide timely intervention, intervene with parents, establish communication guidelines, involve the community, and get the school back on course. A sidebar discusses suicide prevention programs' effects on…

Summarizes the first year's results of an Oregon mandate that hospitals report all attempted suicides by adolescents and compares the characteristics of attempted adolescent suicides in 1988 with completed suicides between 1979 and 1988. The best predictor of outcome was the method used; the relationship between method and outcome must be further…

Examined New Mexico vital statistics data for suicides and homicides among Hispanics, Native Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites from 1958 to 1987. Found high age-adjusted rates for suicides and homicides among Hispanic and Native American males and homicide rate increase for males in all groups over time. Low suicide rates among Native American…

Describes postvention as dealing with traumatic aftereffects in survivors of traumas. Defines role of school in providing such postvention services as consultation, crisis intervention, community linkage, assessment and counseling, education, liaison with media, and follow-up. Provides outline of this type of prevention with illustrations from…

Administered Suicide Opinion Questionnaire to university students from Singapore (n=100) and Australia (n=82). Of 15 factors, 10 showed statistically significant mean differences, with Singaporeans endorsing greater disagreement on factors of Acceptability and Demographic aspects, and Australians endorsing greater disagreement on factors of…

Conducted two epidemiological surveys of suicidal ideation among adolescents in France and Quebec. Results suggest that, in both France and Canada, suicidal ideation was linked to drug use (especially tobacco, illicit drugs, and psychotropic medicine), nonspecific somatic complaints (especially tiredness, sleep difficulties, depression, and…

Genuine and simulated suicide notes were analyzed. Genuine notes were selected from completed suicides of men and women who were White and older than 18. Genuine note writers gave more instructions regarding final affairs, provided more factual information, used more religious ideas, and more often dated the note. (Author/SR)

Explored potential psychosocial risk factors associated with completed suicide among Latino adolescents in United States. Sample (n=14) included all Latino adolescents who committed suicide in Miami, Florida, between January 1988 and June 1989. Found that victims had experienced significantly more school, personality, behavioral, and family…

Studied occurrence of completed suicide by age in one-year age groups in adolescence and young adulthood via official Finnish mortality statistics and population statistics. Suicide rates increased sharply by age during adolescence, starting somewhat earlier among boys than among girls. (Author/NB)

Examined grief, family detachment, and impact of resources following sudden bereavement among family members of victims of suicide and accidental deaths. Most grief-stricken survivors were more detached from family. Self-esteem emerged as strongest predictor of grief and played role in mediating influences of religious participation and exercise…