Content and Process of Adolescent Suicide Ideation: Implications for Risk Assessment

This study examined differences in the content and process of suicide ideation between adolescents presenting with recent suicide ideation or a suicide attempt in clinical settings. Across two combined study samples, adolescents (N = 229; 79% female; 73% Hispanic/Latine), ages 12–19, presenting with a recent suicide attempt, recent suicide ideation with a past suicide attempt history, or recent suicide ideation with no past suicide attempt history were interviewed in detail about the process and content of their suicide ideation. The group with suicide ideation and a past suicide attempt more often reported that their recent ideation lasted greater than 4 h compared to those with suicide ideation but no past suicide attempt history. The suicide attempt group more often considered ingestion as their first method of attempt, compared to the other two suicide ideation groups, and less often considered “other” methods (e.g., jumping from a height or onto train/traffic, hanging). Wish to die was lower in the ideation-only group, compared to both other groups. Separate analyses from Study 2 suggested that the majority of adolescents’ suicide ideation contained imagery; however, a higher proportion of adolescents with suicide ideation and a past suicide attempt reported imagery in their ideation than those with ideation but no past attempt. Understanding what adolescents think about when they consider suicide and how they think about it may be informative about risk of a suicide attempt.