Screening as an approach for adolescent suicide prevention.

Among the provisions of the recently signed Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, Congress called for the use of screening to detect adolescents who are at risk for suicide. After a review of the literature, 17 studies involving screening instruments and programs were identified. We addressed the question: What do we know about the demonstrated effectiveness and safety of screening as a tool or program to prevent suicide among adolescents? While youth suicide screening programs offer the promise of improving identification for those who need treatment the most, further research is essential to understand how, when, where, and for whom screening programs can be used effectively and efficiently.