Introduction Suicide is the second leading cause of premature death in people between 15 and 29 years old and the third in young people between 15 and 19 years old. Adolescence is a critical period concerning mental health disorders since there is greater vulnerability to suicidal behaviors. The situation in Latin America is worrying, with Chile being one of the two countries where suicide rates of children and adolescents increase yearly. This study aims to analyze clinical, psychological, family, and social risk factors associated with suicidal behavior in a clinical sample of adolescents treated in the public health system of the Maule region. Methods The study design is cross- sectional. We used a sample of 388 adolescents between 10 and 21 years old admitted to the health system of the Maule Region. The participants were evaluated by applying five measuring instruments (The Barrat Impulsivity Scale, The Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire for mental health problems in adolescents, and The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) in addition to collecting social and family information and relevant clinical history from the medical records. Results The analysis allowed us to identify distinctive characteristics of adolescent suicidal behavior by describing clinical, psychological, and family social factors. Conclusions Adolescents with a history of suicide attempts are characterized by having suicidal ideation, anxious-depressive symptoms, stress, insomnia, and impulsiveness. Likewise, they report being non-religious, belonging to sexual minorities, and victims of sexual harassment and/or abuse.

Background: A timely search for professional help regarding mental health issues in adolescents is critical in preventing severe disorders. However, adolescents generally tend not to seek help. This investigation aimed to study Chilean adolescents' willingness to seek help in mental health issues by identifying their preferred help-seeking sources. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional-correlational study with 493 high school students between 14 and 19 years of age (mean ± standard deviation = 16.28 ± 1.29). The instruments we used were the general help-seeking questionnaire (vignette version), adapted and validated in Chile, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Data showed that adolescents are more willing to seek help from informal rather than from formal sources. We identified no sex differences in terms of willingness to seek help from formal sources. However, males were more willing to seek help from informal sources. Conclusions: Similar to other cultures, Chilean adolescents are more willing to seek help from informal sources regarding mental health problems.

IntroductionAdolescent suicide is a worldwide public health problem, being the second and the third leading cause of death in the 15–29 and the 15–19 age groups, respectively. Among adolescents, it is estimated that for every suicide, there are 100–200 suicide attempts. Although 79% of suicides in the world occur in low/middle-income countries, most of scientific evidence comes from high-income and low-risk countries. In recent years, adolescent suicide rates have steadily increased in Chile. Deaths caused by self-harm increased by 220% in the population aged 10–19 years between 2000 and 2015. The Maule Region is one of the regions of Chile with the highest levels of suicide among those aged 15 and 19 years old. The objective of this study is to evaluate the trajectories of ideation and suicidal attempts in adolescents with psychiatric disorders treated within the public health system of the Maule Region, Chile, based on different clinical, psychological and neuropsychological factors.MethodA prospective naturalistic study of a clinical sample of adolescents under psychiatric treatment in the Maule Region, Chile. Adolescents will be evaluated using a thorough protocol that includes suicide-related clinical variables. The study seeks to establish patterns of change in the trajectories of ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was granted by the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Universidad Católica del Maule in Chile. This protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. The results of this study will be disseminated to health centres through executive reports and feedback sessions. In addition, the most relevant findings will be presented in scientific articles, conferences and seminars open to the community.Trial registration numberNCT04635163.