Teens and young men in correctional facilities are at increased risk of dying by suicide, but they are otherwise fairly similar to unincarcerated youth who take their own lives, a U.S. study suggests. Looking at a nationally-representative sample of all suicides by boys and men aged 10-24 years over a decade, one of the few differences researchers noted was that jailed youth were most likely to die within the first seven days of incarceration.

That suggests screening these youth for suicide risk factors at intake and monitoring them for signs of suicidal intent might reduce deaths, the authors conclude in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

"Suicide prevention efforts for incarcerated youth should focus on timely and ongoing suicide risk assessment and safety planning," said lead study author Donna Ruch of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. From 2000 to 2014, suicide rates were two to three times higher for youth in custody than those in the general population, with more youth in confinement dying by suicide than any other reported cause of death, Ruch's team notes.

In general, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention has also identified youth in custody as high-risk individuals for suicide and established a strategic goal to reduce suicidal behavior in this population," Ruch told Reuters Health by email.

Copyright Reuters, 2019