Risk factors General		Who's at risk? Who is more likely to commit suicide? There are several categories that patients fall into: up to 50% are teenagers with a long history of school problems - oppositional behavior, fighting at school, history of school suspensions, very impulsive 20-25% are depressed females 20-25% are anxious, perfectionsitic, rigid teenagers; these are "model" children with good academic performance but who are still having difficulty relating to both their families and school personnel 1-2% are frankly psychotic teens and preteens The subject of guns and suicide must be commented on. Increased access to guns has revolutionized the way teens attempt and commit suicide. Guns are the most common method of completed suicide, especially when alcohol or drugs are involved. Suicide rates are directly correlated with gun sales; they are inversely related to the restrictive nature of gun control laws. We know that the most powerful predictor for a completed suicide is a prior attempt. However, an amazing statistic is that, even with an adolescent with a prior suicide attempt in the home, one-fourth of families studied refused to remove a gun from the home!!! Return to top of page