Suicidal behavior among psychiatric outpatient children: an estimate of prevalence.

The prevalence of suicidal behaviors displayed by pre-adolescent psychiatric outpatients has been estimated to range between 25 percent and 33 percent of the outpatient population. The current study assessed suicidal behaviors displayed by 40 children aged 12 and younger who were evaluated in a psychiatric outpatient service. According to the Pfeffer Spectrum of Suicidal Behavior Scale, 15 percent of the sample had recently engaged in some form of suicidal behavior and almost 3 percent had made a suicide attempt that was viewed as realistically endangering life.