Citation

Pommereau X. Ann. Pediatr. (Paris) 1998; 45(5): 354-362.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Societe Edition Assoc, Enseignement Med. Hop De Paris)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The management of suicidal behaviors in teenagers raises three main problems: one third of the patients attempt suicide more than once, and the risk of death by suicide is nonnegligible in this subgroup; 70% of patients are devoid of established psychiatric disorders but suffer psychological distress requiring professional help; few patients seek care from existing medico-psychological clinics because (they are unaware of the true meaning of their distress. A suicidal attempt can be defined as an attempt to break away from intolerable incestuous or 'incestual' realities. Hospitals should strive to offer appropriate therapeutic modalities to adolescents whose condition does not require admission to a psychiatric unit. The emergency room should provide not only the required somatic care but also a psychiatric evaluation, and referral, for a brief stay, to a unit designed to allow teenagers and their family set appropriate limits. This approach confers on the suicidal act its true 'critical' dimension and reinforces the commitment of family members to the patient's follow-up care.

Language: fr

Keywords

adolescence; Adolescence; child psychiatry; emergency health service; emotional stress; hospitalization; In-hospital care; incest; mental stress; psychiatric treatment; psychological aspect; Psychopathology; review; social support; Suicidal attempts; suicide; suicide attempt