Hospitals See Growing Numbers Of Kids And Teens At Risk For Suicide
The number of children and teens who visited the hospital for suicidal thoughts or attempts doubled from 2008 to 2015. Rates were highest during the school year.
The number of kids who struggle with thoughts of suicide â or attempt to kill themselves â is rising. New research, published Wednesday in Pediatrics finds children ages 5-17 visited children's hospitals for suicidal thoughts or attempts about twice as often in 2015 as in 2008.
The study found kids of all ages are affected though increases were greatest for older adolescents.
Lead author Gregory Plemmons, a pediatrician and researcher at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., says the study results confirmed what he'd been seeing at the hospital.
