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Center for Suicide Prevention and Research

Understanding Treatment Outcomes in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
 Understanding Treatment Outcomes in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder 1024 575 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Teen girl with backpack

New study compares minimally adequate behavioral health treatments and clinical outcomes. Pediatric bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 3.9% of youth globally, is the fourth leading cause of years of life lost due to disability and premature death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24. Effective treatment is critical to reduce these risks and…

Black Youth Experience Disparities in Care for First-Episode Psychosis in Ohio
 Black Youth Experience Disparities in Care for First-Episode Psychosis in Ohio 1024 683 Jessica Nye, PhD
By: Jessica Nye, PhD

Black youth enrolled in Medicaid were more likely to experience a first-episode psychosis (FEP) event and be diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder but less likely to receive key early intervention services than White youth.   “It’s been known for a long time, especially in the United States, that Black individuals specifically face racial disparities when…

Do Text Messages Help Youth at Risk For Suicide Feel Supported After Discharge?
 Do Text Messages Help Youth at Risk For Suicide Feel Supported After Discharge? 1024 683 Katelyn Scott
By: Katelyn Scott

Nationwide Children’s is the first pediatric hospital to implement Caring Contacts approach within its Zero Suicide initiative. The initial study period shows high enrollment and satisfaction with the program. Youth who receive care for suicidal thoughts and behaviors need extra support as they transition after they are discharged from inpatient care or the emergency department.…

Uncovering the Alarming Rise in Death by Suicide Among Preteens
 Uncovering the Alarming Rise in Death by Suicide Among Preteens 1024 657 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Data from a new study implies that gender and race/ethnicity play a role in increasing suicide rates. Youth suicide is a significant public health concern. When the National Institute of Mental Health convened a research roundtable series to address the rising rates of death by suicide in preteens in 2021, the Center for Suicide Prevention…

New Frontiers for Data Science in Pediatric Research
 New Frontiers for Data Science in Pediatric Research 1024 577 Peter White, PhD
By: Peter White, PhD

From discovery science to population health, researchers generate masses of data that hold immense potential to transform pediatric research, diagnostics, treatments and even guide disease prevention strategies. To make sense of this data deluge, we’ve been harnessing the power of cloud computing and cutting-edge data science techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML)…

Scalable Delivery of Universal Suicide Prevention in Schools
 Scalable Delivery of Universal Suicide Prevention in Schools 1024 657 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Implementing the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention and Screening Program   Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among youth ages 10 to 19 years, and data indicate no sign of it decreasing as a major public health issue. While acute care and crisis intervention are critical efforts to reduce adolescent suicide rates, there is…

Featured Researcher — Jeff Bridge, PhD
 Featured Researcher — Jeff Bridge, PhD 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Jeff Bridge, PhD, director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, has been actively working to prevent suicide among at-risk youth since he was 19. Although he started as a volunteer, his career in suicide prevention and research has progressed considerably during his 36…

Youth Suicide Rates in the U.S. Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Especially Among Particular Subgroups
 Youth Suicide Rates in the U.S. Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Especially Among Particular Subgroups 1024 691 Jessica Nye, PhD
By: Jessica Nye, PhD
teen boy with back to camera reading a book

In the United States, youth suicides increased during COVID-19, with significantly more suicides than expected among males, non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black youth.   Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 5-24 years in the United States, and a significant public health concern. Data suggest depression, anxiety and social isolation…

The New Book on Youth Suicide Prevention
 The New Book on Youth Suicide Prevention 150 150 John Ackerman, PhD and Lisa Horowitz, PhD, MPH
By: John Ackerman, PhD and Lisa Horowitz, PhD, MPH

Our new open access Springer Series book helps close the gap between the latest research in youth suicide prevention and how to make an impact in our communities.  Youth suicide is a public health crisis. It is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-17 in the United States, according to data from…

Self-Harm Risk Among Youth With First-Episode Psychosis
 Self-Harm Risk Among Youth With First-Episode Psychosis 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Study narrows down period of acute risk and finds shared and unique risk factors among adolescents and young adults. Although it is known that young people with psychosis are at an elevated risk for suicide and suicide-related behavior, it has not been clear which patients are at the most risk and when. In a new…

Zero Suicide: A Comprehensive Framework for Pediatric Hospitals
 Zero Suicide: A Comprehensive Framework for Pediatric Hospitals 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Sad black teenage girl

Key elements of the program include leadership support, practical tools and training for staff, and a quality improvement infrastructure. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds, and the number of youths presenting to pediatric hospitals for suicide-related concerns has doubled in recent years. Suicide is more than just a mental…

Study Finds High Mortality Rates of Youths Previously Incarcerated in the Juvenile Legal System
 Study Finds High Mortality Rates of Youths Previously Incarcerated in the Juvenile Legal System 1024 683 Rebecca Cybulski
By: Rebecca Cybulski
silhouette girl portrait

Recent data links youth incarceration to early mortality by homicide, overdose and suicide. New research from the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital finds that youth aged 11 to 21 years, who have been previously incarcerated in the juvenile legal system, are 5.9 times more likely than the general population to experience early mortality.…

Alarming Upward Trend in Black Youth Suicide From 2003 to 2017
 Alarming Upward Trend in Black Youth Suicide From 2003 to 2017 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Sad black teenage girl

Prioritization of research aimed at identifying specific risk and protective factors associated with Black youth suicidal behavior is needed. In the United States, the rates of suicide and suicidal behavior among youth, children and adolescents 5-17 years of age, have been steadily increasing over the last decade, and Black youth, 5-12 years, are approximately two…

Improving Suicide Prevention by Examining Characteristics and Precipitating Circumstances Among Children Aged 5 to 11 Years
 Improving Suicide Prevention by Examining Characteristics and Precipitating Circumstances Among Children Aged 5 to 11 Years 150 150 Natalie Wilson
By: Natalie Wilson

Suicides among children aged 11 or younger are on the rise. In response to this trend and a call to action by the National Institute of Mental Health task force on child suicide research, researchers have identified common themes across coroner’s and police reports on suicide deaths in this age group to identify warning signs…

Understanding Black Youth Suicide: Steps Toward Prevention
 Understanding Black Youth Suicide: Steps Toward Prevention 1024 596 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

To understand the how and why of rising rates of Black youth suicide, researchers call for a ‘Ground Zero’ approach. In December 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus released the statement “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.” The statement focused on rising suicide rates among Black youth in the United States.…

Can Neurocognitive Functioning Tests Help Predict Future Suicide Attempts?
 Can Neurocognitive Functioning Tests Help Predict Future Suicide Attempts? 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Sad black teenage girl

Researchers identify sex-specific deficits in measures of working memory and affective processing associated with suicidal behavior in youth with depression. To prevent youth suicide, researchers are working to identify factors associated with suicide attempts in adolescents at elevated risk for suicidal behavior. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s examined neurocognitive functioning in suicidal…

Investigating Youth Suicides Among Children Involved With the Welfare System
 Investigating Youth Suicides Among Children Involved With the Welfare System 1024 683 Natalie Wilson
By: Natalie Wilson
silhouette girl portrait

Youth with child welfare involvement are at an elevated risk for suicide but may benefit from suicide prevention interventions targeting health care settings and family-preservation. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 5 to 21 years in the United States. Between 2010 and 2019, suicide rates among this group increased 40%.…

Emotion Regulation and Family History: Examining the Intersection of Two Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior
 Emotion Regulation and Family History: Examining the Intersection of Two Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior 1024 575 Test Author
By: Test Author

First pilot study exclusively focused on early vulnerabilities in youth with maternal history of suicidal behavior sets the foundation for future research. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for persons ages 10-24. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), youth suicide rates have nearly tripled from 2007 to 2017.…

Newspapers Overlook Best Practices When Reporting a Celebrity Suicide Death
 Newspapers Overlook Best Practices When Reporting a Celebrity Suicide Death 150 150 Katelyn Scott
By: Katelyn Scott

A new study shows that most articles do not adhere to suicide reporting guidelines, but experts say parents can help by starting conversations about mental health. Research shows media coverage of a celebrity suicide has the potential to increase the risk for contagion, especially among vulnerable individuals. To reduce possible harmful effects, suicide reporting guidelines…

Suicide Attempts Among Black Youth Increasing
 Suicide Attempts Among Black Youth Increasing 150 150 MaryEllen Fiorino
By: MaryEllen Fiorino

Study finds that black youth are attempting suicide more often than all other racial and ethnic groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth 12-18 years old in the United States, and in 2017 alone, suicide accounted for more than 2,200 deaths among…

Finding the Reasons Why: Looking for Answers in Trends of Child and Youth Suicides
 Finding the Reasons Why: Looking for Answers in Trends of Child and Youth Suicides 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Epidemiological studies are the first step to learn how to prevent suicide attempts and deaths. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds. And even as awareness grows, the suicide rate continues to climb, according to national statistics. But those national statistics don’t tell the whole story. For decades, researchers around the…

A Narrowing Gender Gap in Youth Suicides
 A Narrowing Gender Gap in Youth Suicides 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
Teen girl with backpack

Recent data show a disproportionate increase in the suicide rate among female relative to male youth, highlighting a significant reduction in the historically large gap in suicide rates between sexes.

Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning Have More Than Doubled in Teens, Young Adults
 Suicide Attempts by Self-Poisoning Have More Than Doubled in Teens, Young Adults 1024 683 Katelyn Scott
By: Katelyn Scott
silhouette girl portrait

A new study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center found rates of suicide attempts by self-poisoning among adolescents have more than doubled in the last decade in the U.S., and more than tripled for girls and young women. The study, published online today in The Journal of Pediatrics, evaluated the incidence and…

Why Preteens in the ED Should be Screened for Suicide Risk
 Why Preteens in the ED Should be Screened for Suicide Risk 480 320 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Screening revealed that 7% of 10-to-12-year-olds who came to three children’s hospital emergency departments for medical complaints such as headache, back pain or seizures, were at risk for suicide, a recent study found. More than half of children in the same age group presenting to the emergency department with psychiatric complaints such as depression, violent…

National Survey of Emergency Department Management of Self-Harm Highlights Successes, Room for Improvement
 National Survey of Emergency Department Management of Self-Harm Highlights Successes, Room for Improvement 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Only 15 percent of hospitals surveyed routinely provided all recommended safety planning elements. Approximately half a million patients in the United States arrive in emergency departments (EDs) after deliberate self-harm annually. In the short term following the ED visit, these patients are at high risk for repeated self-harm and suicide. In a study published [today]…

Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth
 Suicide Deaths Among Incarcerated Youth 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Difficult, But Essential Conversations: Talking With Kids About Suicide
 Difficult, But Essential Conversations: Talking With Kids About Suicide 1024 575 Gina Bericchia
By: Gina Bericchia

Experts say open conversations with kids about suicide could save lives. As kids head back to school this year, many of them will be struggling. According to national statistics, we lose more than 2,000 children and teens per year to suicide. Experts say parents who check in regularly with their child could have a life-saving…

Age-Related Racial Disparities in Suicide Rates Among Youth Ages 5 to 17 Years
 Age-Related Racial Disparities in Suicide Rates Among Youth Ages 5 to 17 Years 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

Under the age of 13, suicide rates are roughly double for black children compared with white children. Suicide rates in the United States have traditionally been higher among whites than blacks across all age groups. However, a new study from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and collaborators published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that racial disparities in suicide…

Suicides Rising Among Young Black Children, Rural Adolescents
 Suicides Rising Among Young Black Children, Rural Adolescents 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Researchers are parsing data for trends and intervention targets. Researchers in central Ohio are gaining surprising insights they hope will lead to fewer children and adolescents committing suicide. While the suicide rate among white children 5 to 11 years old has declined since 1993, the rate among black children in the same age group has…