Gender differences among adolescent suicide attempters.

When males attempt suicide, they often use more lethal and violent methods than females. However, this article suggests that gender alone is not especially useful in assessing the seriousness of adolescent suicide attempts. In the study discussed here, the sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of female and male suicide attempters seen in a pediatric hospital are compared. There were no sociodemographic differences between the groups. Boys and girls were similar when assessed regarding suicidal ideation, depression, and hopelessness. More males than females were diagnosed with conduct disorders. Some items on the Suicide Intent Scale indicated that boys exhibited more serious intentionality than girls. Division of the sample based on suicide intentionality resulted in differences in the level of reported depression.