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| |  Treating Depression, Anxiety, Alcohol Abuse Significantly Reduces Teen Suicide Risk NEW YORK, NY -- March 22, 1999 -- Better screening for and diagnosis and treatment of depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse can significantly reduce the risk of suicide in youth, according to a study published in this month’s supplement to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. For example, direct, confidential screening of high school students for risk factors such as previous suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse have proven effective in identifying at-risk teens whose problems may be hidden from others. Suicide remains a top killer of young Americans. It is the third leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15-19 and the second leading cause of death in those aged 19-24. Almost twice as many youth die by suicide than from all natural causes. "Research demonstrates that suicide should be regarded as a fatal complication of several underlying diseases, each of which is treatable," said study author David Shaffer, M.D., director, division of child and adolescent psychiatry, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. About 90 percent of teenagers who die by suicide have a mental illness. The highest risk teens are boys aged 17 to 19 who are depressed and drink heavily (for example, their drinking results in being intoxicated at school or being arrested for driving while intoxicated), Shaffer explained. Most girls who are suicidal suffer from uncomplicated major depression. Many mental illnesses that increase suicide risk in teen years and adulthood begin in adolescence, including depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders.
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