Completed Suicides in a Youth Centres Population

Abstract

From 1995 to 2000, 422 youths, aged 18 years and under, died as a result of suicide in Quebec. More than one-third had received services from youth centres (YCs) at some point. This study sought to characterize a sample of those youths to improve services for this at-risk population. From a retrospective study of YCs and coroner's office files, we investigated the clinical features of youths who had received YC services and died by suicide. We compared them with YC patients matched for age, sex, and geographic area who had reported suicidal behaviour or who had no such symptoms. Among those who committed suicide, we found a ratio of 3.8 boys for 1 girl, with a mean age of 16.8 years. Hanging, used by 73.6%, was the most frequent means; 53.6% had a previous suicide attempt. The group that committed suicide had more indicators of major depression, substance abuse, and disruptive behaviours, as well as more adverse events. Interventions should focus on screening for mental disorders and suicidal behaviours on the initial contact with YC services. This screening should be implemented through a medical multidisciplinary team that includes psychoeducational services.