“The growing impact of mental health issues in pediatrics on hospitals and clinics can longer be ignored—particularly in a time when mental health resources for children appear to be static, and woefully scarce across the United States,” said study lead author Greg Plemmons, MD, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
Researchers used administrative billing data from the Pediatric Health Information System database to analyze trends in emergency and inpatient encounters for suicide ideation and suicide attempts. Between 2008 and 2015, a total of 115,856 such encounters took place at 31 children’s hospitals across the country.
The rate of suicide-related encounters grew steadily over the study period among all age groups, researchers found. Girls accounted for almost two-thirds of encounters.
Suicide ideation and attempts among youth peaked in the fall and spring. Rates were lowest during the summer months, suggesting school may be associated with increased stress and mental health challenges for students.
When Dr. Plemmons and colleagues looked at pediatric suicide ideation and attempts by age, they found the highest rates among teens aged 15-17.
The group accounted for just over half the encounters. Adolescents aged 12-14 accounted for 37%, and children aged 5-11 accounted for 12.8%.