The Current Age of Youthful Melancholia

The possibility of a rise in rates of depression among adolescents and young adults was first reported in the 1970s. Particular note was taken of the emergence of childhood depression and the increase in suicide attempts and death among adolescents and young adults. Data from large-sample family studies and community epidemiological surveys have been reviewed and reanalysed, using life-table statistical methodology. Evidence for secular trends are presented, and the problems of disentangling period and cohort effect are discussed. It appears that the ‘baby boomers' -those born in the years after World War II- have had increased rates of depression and other related illnesses, including drug abuse and alcoholism. The theoretical aspects of this are discussed, particularly for gene-environment interactions.

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Epidemiological Trends in Attempted Suicide in Adolescents and Young Adults Between 1996 and 2004

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910.30.3.115 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 115-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Stephanie De Munck ◽

Gwendolyn Portzky ◽

Kees Van Heeringen

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Attempted Suicide ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

University Hospital ◽

International Studies ◽

Suicide Attempters ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Epidemiological Trends

Background: Notwithstanding the epidemiological studies indicating an increased risk of attempted suicide among adolescents and young adults, there is a scarcity of international studies that examine long-term epidemiological trends in rates and characteristics of this vulnerable group. Aims: This article describes the results of a 9-year monitoring study of suicide attempts in adolescents and young adults referred to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Gent University Hospital (Belgium). Methods: Between January 1996 and December 2004, trends, sociodemographic, and methodrelated characteristics of suicide attempts were assessed by a psychiatrist on data sheets. Results: Attempted suicide rates declined from 1996 to 2001 and then rose until 2004, but did not exceed previous rates. During the 9 years of monitoring, there was a preponderance of female suicide attempters, except for 1997. Rates of attempts and of fatal suicide were negatively correlated. Significantly more males than females deliberately injured themselves. Younger attempters, especially females, significantly more often poisoned themselves with analgesics. In nearly one in five attempts, alcohol was used in combination with other methods, and alcohol intake was more commonly observed in older suicide attempters. Nearly half of the adolescents were identified as repeaters. Conclusions: The results of this study warrant further monitoring of trends and characteristics of young suicide attempters.

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Putting a Child in Day Care: Issues for Working Parents

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.91.1.271 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 91 (1) ◽

pp. 271-272

Author(s):

T. Berry Brazelton

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Young Adults ◽

World War Ii ◽

Future Development ◽

The United States ◽

World War ◽

Working Parents ◽

Small Children ◽

Substitute Care ◽

Care Situation

In 1981, more than half the mothers in the United States were employed outside the home. By 1990, it was predicted that 70% of children would have two working parents. The number has been increasing each year since World War II, and 10 times as many mothers of small children work now as did in 1945. Now it is more culturally acceptable than even before for mothers to have jobs. Even so, there is still a strong bias against mothers leaving their babies in substitute care unless it is absolutely necessary. Society does not yet whole-heartedly support working mothers and their choices about substitute care. We do not have enough studies yet to know about the issues for the infant. The studies we do have are likely to be biased or based on experiences in special, often privileged populations. We need to know when it is safest for the child's future development to have to relate to two or three caregivers; what will be the effects of a group care situation on a baby's development; when babies are best able to find what they need from caregivers other than their parents; when parents are best able to separate from their babies without feeling too grieved at the loss. In a word, we need information on which to base general guidelines for parents. For it could be that the most subtle, hard-to-deal-with pressure on young adults comes indirectly from society's ambivalent and discordant attitudes, which create a void of values in which the building and nurturing of a family becomes very difficult.

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Risk of suicide attempts in adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide longitudinal study

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.2018.8 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 212 (4) ◽

pp. 234-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Kai-Lin Huang ◽

Han-Ting Wei ◽

Ju-Wei Hsu ◽

Ya-Mei Bai ◽

Tung-Ping Su ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Young Adults ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Suicide Attempt ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Population Based ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder

BackgroundAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of suicidal behaviours through psychiatric comorbidities; however, a significant direct association has not been observed between ADHD and suicide attempts.AimsTo evaluate the risk of suicide attempt in adolescents and young adults with ADHD.MethodUsing a nationwide, population-based insurance claims database, this longitudinal cohort study enrolled 20 574 adolescents and young adults with ADHD and 61 722 age- and gender-matched controls between 2001 and 2009. Any suicide attempt was identified from enrolment to 31 December 2011. The association between ADHD medications and the likelihood of suicide attempt was assessed.ResultsADHD was an independent risk factor for any suicide attempt (hazard ratio = 3.84, 95% CI = 3.19–4.62) and repeated suicide attempts (hazard ratio = 6.52, 95% CI = 4.46–9.53). Subgroup analyses of men, women, adolescents and young adults demonstrated the same trend. Methylphenidate or atomoxetine treatment did not increase the risk of suicide attempt or repeated suicide attempts. Long-term methylphenidate treatment was associated with a significantly decreased risk of repeated suicide attempts in men (hazard ratio = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.22–0.97).ConclusionADHD was a risk factor for suicide attempt and a stronger predictor of repeated suicide attempts, independent of comorbidities. Further investigation is warranted to explore the mechanism underlying the association between ADHD and suicidal behaviours.Declaration of interestNone.

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Suicide Attempts of Japanese Youth and Durkheim's Concept of Anomie: An Interpretation

Human Organization ◽

10.17730/humo.26.1-2.6042387kw2884626 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 26 (1-2) ◽

pp. 59-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mamoru Iga ◽

Kenshiro Ohara

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

World War ◽

Psychological Conditions ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Essential Components ◽

The Difference ◽

The Individual ◽

And Behavior ◽

Japanese Youth

The rapid increase in Japan suicide rates after World War II - from less than 20 per 100,000 population before, and less than 15 during the war, to 25.3 in 1955 - suggests that the high suicide rates in 1955 may be attributed, at least partly, to anomie after the war. The effect of anomie seems to have been especially great on Japanese youth, whose suicide rates nearly doubled from those of pre-war periods for both sexes (Table 1). The purpose of this paper is (1) to ascertain the essential components of Durkheim's concept of anomie; (2) to apply them to the explanation of high suicide rates of Japanese youth; and (3) to apply them to suicide attempts by Japanese youth. Although Powell and Gibbs and Martin maintain that Durkheim's concepts are inapplicable to individual cases, we try to find components of the concepts, which may be applicable to individual cases. After all, as Durkheim recognized by referring to the suicidal individual's psychological conditions, the components of the "suicidal current" must converge upon suicidal individuals if they are to contribute to suicide rates. The difference between suicidal and non-suicidal individuals who are exposed to the same "suicidal current" will be due to the variation in the amount and intensity of each one of the components, and the interrelationship among them, within the individual. The amount, intensity, and interrelationship will be largely determined by social conditions and their effects upon particular individuals. It is the usually accepted contention that anomie as a social condition must be distinguished from anomie as a psychological condition. We maintain, however that the two are expressions of the same force - anomie - in the different contexts of social structure and individual psychology. We follow Leslie White in his handling of the dichotomy of culture and behavior.

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Gray and white matter differences in adolescents and young adults with prior suicide attempts across bipolar and major depressive disorders

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.095 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 245 ◽

pp. 1089-1097 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Siyan Fan ◽

Elizabeth T.C. Lippard ◽

Anjali Sankar ◽

Amanda Wallace ◽

Jennifer A.Y. Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

White Matter ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Major Depressive Disorders

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Exploring the Family factors associated with Suicide Attempts among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Qualitative Study

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1177/0253717620957113 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 025371762095711

Author(s):

Anju Mathew ◽

Remadevi Saradamma ◽

Vijayakumar Krishnapillai ◽

Saboora Beegum Muthubeevi

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Family Support ◽

Suicidal Behavior ◽

Family Environment ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Family Factors ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Interview Method ◽

The Family ◽

Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Background: Suicides are among the leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults worldwide, including India. Suicide attempts are about 20 times more common than completed suicides. Teenagers and youth who attempt suicide belong to a heterogeneous group. Various biological and psychosocial factors, including family factors, contribute to such behavior. Quality of family functioning and relationships may act as an important contextual factor in deciding suicidal behavior. Hence, this study was done to explore the family factors contributing to suicide attempts. Methods: Qualitative exploratory study design and purposive sampling were used. Data were collected from 22 adolescents and young adults using an in-depth interview method. All audio recordings were transcribed in Malayalam, and then translated to English. Codes were developed using the qualitative data analysis software. Thematic analysis was done. Themes and relationships were identified and synthesized to a framework that represents the summary of the data. Results: Most of the participants perceived the home environment as hostile. Problems within the family included parental conflicts and separation, conflict with a sibling or other members of the family, and marital disharmony. Most of them perceived low family support. Socioeconomic factors such as financial issues, superstitious beliefs, disturbing neighborhoods, interpersonal issues, and the stigma of having a mental illness, in a family member, were also noted. Conclusion: Hostile family environment, faulty interactions between family members, and lack of perceived family support may contribute to suicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults. Hence, it is imperative to consider these factors while treating them or planning any suicide prevention program for them.

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Risk of Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry ◽

10.4088/jcp.16m11100 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 78 (9) ◽

pp. e1174-e1179 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Mu-Hong Chen ◽

Tai-Long Pan ◽

Wen-Hsuan Lan ◽

Ju-Wei Hsu ◽

Kai-Lin Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Adults ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Young Adults With Autism

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Generational Change and the Decline of Party Identification in America: 1952–1974

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1959651 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 469-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Paul R. Abramson

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

World War Ii ◽

Party Identification ◽

Cohort Analysis ◽

University Of Michigan ◽

Wide Spread ◽

World War ◽

Generational Change ◽

Partisan Identification ◽

The University

A large and growing proportion of Americans claims to be neither Republican nor Democratic, and partisan independence is most wide-spread among young adults. A time-series cohort analysis of eleven surveys conducted by the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan between 1952 and 1974 strongly suggests that the low level of partisan identification among young adults results largely from fundamental differences between their socialization and that of their elders. The overall decline in party identification results largely from generational change. High levels of partisan identification persist among persons who entered the electorate before World War II, but among those who entered the electorate more recently levels of identification are low. The analysis strongly suggests that overall levels of party identification will continue to decline, and permits examination of one process by which party loyalties among mass electorates gradually are transformed.

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