Foreword

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You ever-gentle gods, take my breath from me;

Let not my worser spirit tempt me again

To die before you please.

—William Shakespeare, King Lear (Gloucester at IV, vi)

Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, and is the third-leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds. A completed suicide is, of course, a terrible tragedy not only for the victim but also for family and friends, as well as for health care providers who may feel responsible for somehow failing to identify the risk and prevent the suicide. In fact, among adult suicide victims, nearly half see their primary care physician in the month before they commit suicide.¹ In this month’s issue of Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, Jacki Waldvogel and colleagues from the University of Minnesota provide us with a thorough look at the known risk factors for adolescent suicide and the prevention approaches that are thought to be effective. A number of high quality on-line resources for providers dealing with adolescent suicide (which includes all providers who care for adolescents) are listed in Table 3 on page 121 of this issue).

Here is a factoid that was news to me: most suicides occur in the spring, with May being the most common month to commit suicide.² Thus, this article comes to you just in time to prepare you well for this year’s period of highest risk.

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References 

1. Luoma J, Martin CE, Pearson JL. Contact with mental health and primary care providers before suicide: a review of the evidence. Am J Psychiatry. 2002;159:909–916
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2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Temporal variations in school-associated student homicide and suicide events–United States, 1992-1999. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2001;50(31):657–660Aug 10
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