Anxiety, OCD in children can lead to suicidal thoughts

Parents take note. Depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder are the main reasons why children think about suicide, warn researchers.

The study, published in the journal Archives of Suicide Research, reveals the factors that can trigger suicide ideas in pre-adolescents.

"In boys, it is the previous depressive symptoms that determine suicidal ideation, whereas in girls, it is a combination of anxiety symptoms, OCD, and socio-economic status. of the family, "said Nuria Voltas of the University Rovira I Virgili in Spain.

The researchers studied a group of 720 boys and 794 girls who studied in 13 schools in Reus. They were followed for three developmental periods according to age groups of 10, 11 and 13 years.

At the beginning of the study, students responded to a series of psychological tests to determine which ones had emotional symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

From their responses, two groups were created: a group at risk of emotional problems and a control group.

According to the researchers, the numbers were fairly stable. During the first period, 16% of students reported having thought about suicide and 33% of them said the same thing a year later. In second and third periods, suicide ideas were expressed by 18% of students surveyed.

The risk of suicide was determined during a personal interview and was present in 12.2% of children aged 11 years on average. Although there was no difference between the bades, the severity of suicidal behavior was greater among boys.

"Our results will allow us to better control this aspect and take preventive measures in pre-adolescents, who are going through a period of considerable vulnerability," she concluded.