Indian Express: Washington: Teens appear to develop suicidal thoughts much earlier than thought, as a new study has found that 40 per cent of youths trying to kill themselves make their first attempt before entering high school. The University of Washington study found that while about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, nearly 40 per cent make their first attempt in elementary or middle school. The 
Teens appear to develop suicidal thoughts much earlier than thought. (Reuters)
research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, also found that suicide attempts during childhood and adolescence were linked to higher scores of depression at the time of the attempts, validating for the first time that young adults can reliably recall when they first attempted suicide. "Young adults who end up having chronic mental health problems show their struggles early," said Dr James Mazza, a professor of educational psychology who led the study. "This study suggests that implementation of mental health programmes may need to start in elementary and middle schools, and that youth in these grades are fairly good reporters of their mental health," he was quoted as saying by LiveScience. As part of an ongoing survey, Mazza and his collaborators asked 883 young adults aged 18 or 19 about their history of suicide attempts. Seventy-eight respondents, nearly nine per cent, said that they had tried suicide at some point. Suicide attempt rates showed a sharp increase around sixth grade, about age 12, with rates peaking around eighth or ninth grade, the researchers found. For the 39 of the participants who reported multiple suicide attempts, their first attempt was significantly earlier, as young as nine, than those making a single attempt. Source: Indian Express
