The adolescent suicide attempt: a cardinal symptom of a serious psychiatric disorder.

The rate of adolescent suicides has been increasing over the past decade. This article is a review of the literature regarding the adolescent who attempts suicide with emphasis on the underlying pathology and shows that a true adolescent suicide attempt should be viewed as a cardinal symptom in establishing the identity of a serious psychiatric disorder. This seriousness is reflected in terms of increased lethality, degree of internal pain, decreased reality testing, and evidence of underlying long-standing pathology. Most often there is evidence of a depressive syndrome and also underlying personality disorders.