About 40 percent of young adults who have attempted suicide made their first attempt before high school, suggesting that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may begin much earlier than previously thought, according to a recent study.
As part of a continuous survey, researchers from the University of Washington asked almost 900 adults aged 18 or 19 years old about their history of suicide attempts.
Almost 9 percent (78) of participants said they had attempted suicide at some point. Of these, 40 percent said they made the first attempt before starting school.
The suicide attempt rates increased by about the sixth grade (approximately 12 years old) and peaked around eighth or ninth grade. Of the 39 participants who reported multiple suicide attempts, the first attempt was much earlier (up to 9 years of age) than among those who made a single attempt.
The study also found that suicide attempts in childhood and adolescence were associated with a higher depression scores at the time when attempts were made.
"This suggests that children can communicate to us that things are going well with them scores of depression," he said in a news release from the university's lead author James Mazza, a professor of educational psychology. "It may not give them enough credit for children when evaluating your own mental health, and this study shows that we can rely on self-reported measures to help identify youth who may be at risk of mental health problems, including possible suicidal behavior. "
Mazza said the study reveals that young adults "who end up having chronic mental health problems show soon struggling" and findings "suggest that implementing mental health programs may need to begin in elementary and high school, and that young people report these courses pretty well their own mental health. "
The study appears in the November issue of the journal Journal of Adolescent Health .
According to background information for researchers, about one in nine young people had attempted suicide for when they graduate from high school.