Characteristics of Japanese Teenage Suicide Attempters: A Retrospective Study Comparing Suicide Attempters with Young Adults

Abstract

Background Teenage suicide-related behaviors have been highlighted in Japan in recent years, but the background factors and characteristics of these behaviors have not been clarified. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of teenage suicide attempters who were admitted to an emergency room. Methods The subjects were suicide attempters in their teens and twenties who were admitted to the Critical Care Medical Center of Nippon Medical School Hospital between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2021. The means of suicide attempt, sociodemographic data, psychiatric diagnoses, and causes and motives of suicide attempts were retrospectively examined from medical records. Teenage suicide attempters were compared to those in their twenties for the acquired data, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence on teenage suicide attempts of the aspects that have been shown to be closely associated with teenage suicides. Results Among the 860 suicide attempters between 2010 and 2021, 59 (6.9%) were teenage suicide attempters and 216 (25.1%) were suicide attempters in their twenties. The large number of females, history of self-harm, the great number of drug overdoses as a means of suicide attempts, and the large number of individuals with psychiatric disorders, especially with mood disorders and personality disorders, were commonly shared by suicide attempters in their teens and twenties. On the other hand, family problems, school problems and autism spectrum disorder significantly influenced teenage suicide attempters. Conclusions It was suggested that teenage suicide attempters may have attempted suicide due to environmental difficulties and conflicts about not being able to escape from them. It has become clear that teenage suicide attempters have unique characteristics and background factors, and that it is important to take these into account when taking measures to prevent teenage suicides.