Commentary on translational impact: Distinguishing between passive and active suicidal ideation to address the mental health needs of female juveniles.

Abstract

This commentary piece addresses Williams, Rogers, and Hartigan's (2019) study published in the special issue of Translational Issues in Psychological Science regarding psychological science and juvenile justice. The commentary first emphasizes the findings and discussions of Williams et al. ( 2019) relating to gender-specific cut scores, female juveniles experiencing extensive internalized symptoms, and the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2) failing to predict suicidal behavior in female juveniles. Then, ideas for separating passive and active suicidal ideation in the MAYSI-2's suicide ideation scale are proposed, as well as arguments for how these ideas can benefit female juveniles and reduce the high rates of completed suicides by juveniles shortly after incarceration.