An abstract of the report, “Evaluating Iatrogenic Risk of Youth Suicide Screening Programs,” is made available by The Journal of the American Medical Association.
A study that surveyed more than 2,300 high school students in New York state between 2002 and 2004 has concluded that talking to students about suicide, as well as screening them for potential suicidal thinking, is a safe means of prevention.
The report, which was published in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, says that students who were questioned about suicide were not more likely to exhibit feelings of depression or to report thoughts of suicide than their peers who were not questioned. In addition, the study found that students with symptoms of depression, drug addictions, or previous suicide attempts who were later asked about suicide appeared less distressed than high-risk students who were not questioned.
