SC Connecticut News

One in five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This statistic corresponds with a growing rate of youth suicide in the United States, which is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults. Suicide deaths among 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021. Research released this summer found that suicide is rising dramatically in preteens as young as eight years old, with an annual increase of 8.2% from 2008-2022.

Christine Cha, PhD, notes that "no sole data point will accurately predict suicide" and emphasizes the need for more comprehensive information sources.

The trend is particularly alarming regarding Black children and teens. The suicide rate among Black youth ages 10-17 increased by 144% between 2007 and 2020, the fastest-growing rate among racial groups. Black preteens ages eight to twelve experience the highest rates of suicide compared with other racial groups.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these numbers. “There was what’s been called a secondary pandemic,” says Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine (YSM). “Youth mental health struggles were already at crisis levels...and then they exploded as an area of enormous need.”

The CDC identified several factors contributing to worsening mental health for teens over the past decade. These include concerns about violence and safety, persistent sadness or hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors; female and LGBTQ+ students are disproportionately affected.

Historically, youth suicidality has been an understudied area of research. The Center for Brain and Mind Health (CBMH) at YSM aims to address this gap. Founded in 2022, CBMH integrates Yale’s neuroscience research with clinical care; its co-directors have identified youth suicidality as a pressing area where such integration would be beneficial.

“In pediatric mental health, things are worse than they’ve ever been,” says James McPartland, PhD, Harris Professor in the Yale Child Study Center. “We really thought that this could be a domain where far-reaching improvements could be made.”

In partnership with the Child Study Center, CBMH has recruited Christine Cha as its first faculty hire specializing in youth suicide research. Cha joined CBMH on September 1st to extend her research program on youth suicide risk and prevention conducted over the past fifteen years.

Cha focuses on innovative methods for detecting suicide risk: “No sole data point will accurately predict suicide,” she says. Her team examines patients’ reaction times, mood fluctuations, micro-expressions, voice quality during clinical assessments, and reasons for nondisclosure.

Nationally, efforts are being made to identify at-risk youth through increased screening measures for patients receiving any kind of health services. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends universal suicide screenings for youths above age twelve.

Two years ago, physicians at Yale New Haven Health System launched a zero-suicide initiative by providing educational training on suicide screenings for health providers in pediatric emergency departments.

“We know that kids who attempt suicide are more likely to have been seen in some sort of medical placement within the last month,” says Pamela Hoffman, MD.

Despite these screenings' importance, they don’t always provide reliable assessments of a child or adolescent’s risk for death by suicide. Yann Poncin points out that even with positive screens indicating suicidal thoughts or behaviors it’s not always clear what kind of treatment is needed: “Whom do we identify as really being at risk? We don’t know.”

These challenges motivate Cha's work: “We aim to discern which information sources from patients can complement our current ability to predict who’s at greatest risk," she says.

Cha also investigates underlying psychological experiences such as adolescents’ views toward death and their ability to simulate their future life concretely: "It’s hard to generate hope for something you can’t imagine."

Another focus is developing effective educational measures for families: "It’s not just about what’s within the person but also around them," says Cha.

Poncin underscores family involvement's importance when dealing with suicidal thoughts: "There should be no situation where a child would have suicidal thinking without parental involvement."

Cha remains enthusiastic about collaboration opportunities across different disciplines: "This is the chance...to pursue innovative solutions," she concludes.