Medscape (10/30, Harrison) reports, “Psychotic symptoms greatly increase the risk for suicidal behavior in adolescents in the general population as well as those with diagnosable psychiatric disorders,” according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The large study “found that psychotic symptoms, primarily auditory hallucinations, increased the risk for any suicidal behavior by 10-fold in both early and mid adolescence.” Teens “with depressive disorders who also experienced psychotic symptoms were nearly 14-fold more likely to express severe suicidal behavior, including suicide plans and acts, compared with adolescents with depressive disorders who did not experience psychotic symptoms.”
