Thoughts of suicide can be abundant and frequent for some. These thoughts easily disrupt the lives of not only the suicidal person but the world around said person. It may, however, be possible to tell someone is suicidal before it's too late. Participants of committee on the Pathophysiology and Prevention of Adult and Adolescent Suicide of the Institute of Medicine's held two workshops, Risk Factors for Suicide, March 14, 2001 and Suicide Prevention and Intervention, May 14, 2001, to discuss the topic of suicide. The two workshops were designed to allow invited presenters to share with the committee and other workshop participants their particular expertise in suicide, and to discuss and examine the existing knowledge base.

Risk Factors for Suicide: Summary of a Workshop summarizes the first workshop whose participants were selected to represent the areas of epidemiology and measurement, socio-cultural factors, biologic factors, developmental factors and trauma, and psychologic factors. They were asked to present current and relevant knowledge in each of their expertise areas.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• Committee on Pathophysiology and Prevention of Adolescent and Adult Suicide
• Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health
• Reviewers
• INTRODUCTION
• EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SUICIDE
• ISSUES IN MEASUREMENT OF SUICIDE RISK FACTORS IN ADULTS
• ISSUES IN MEASUREMENT OF SUICIDE RISK FACTORS IN YOUTH
• SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS IN SUICIDE RISK
• NEUROBIOLOGY OF TEENAGE AND ADULT SUICIDE: POSSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SUICIDAL PATIENTS
• STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY GENES FOR COMPLEX DISEASES
• NEUROBIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
• ASSOCIATION OF EARLY PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL ABUSE WITH SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN BIPOLAR ILLNESS
• PSYCHOLOGIC FACTORS IN SUICIDE
• APPENDIX A WORKSHOP AGENDA
• Appendix B WORKSHOP SPEAKERS

Rapporteur: Sara K. Goldsmith.

Support for this project was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Veterans Administration. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. In general, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.