The Impact of Referral to Mental Health Services on Suicide Death Risk in Adolescent Suicide Survivors

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the effect of adolescent suicide survivors’ experience on suicide death risk, and the effect of referral to mental health services (hereafter referral) in this regard. METHODS: This study used the data of 878 suicide-deceased and suicide-attempted adolescents aged 8–19 years, managed by the Suicide and School Mental Health Institute from 2016 to 2018. RESULTS: Regression analysis for main effects showed that although suicide experience had no direct effect on suicide death, non-referral status was associated with a greater risk of death by suicide. While the “non-suicide survivor with non-referral” and “suicide survivor with non-referral” groups showed 1.87 [adjusted odds ratio=1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21–2.89] and 4.59 (adjusted odds ratio= 4.59, 95% CI=2.02–10.42) times higher odds of suicide death, respectively, the “suicide survivor with referral” group showed no difference compared to the “non-suicide survivor with referral” group. CONCLUSION: From these findings, there is a need to strengthen referral to mental health services and apply complicated grief treatment to improve the mental health of adolescent suicide survivors.