Suicide Screening and the Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24 and continues to increase at an alarming rate across the United States and worldwide. While suicide is complex, it is often preventable. Today, the medical home and many other settings are perfectly positioned to screen adolescents at risk for suicide.

Listen to pediatric experts discuss youth suicide prevention

In this episode, Alex Kemper, MD, Kristen Beck, MD, and Lisa Horowitz, PhD, join us to unpack the use of evidence-based screening tools, such as The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) tool, and how primary care providers can play a critical role in identifying and preventing youth suicides.

Dr. Kemper is the Division Chief in Ambulatory Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and a professor at the Ohio State University College of Medicine

Dr. Beck is also from Nationwide Children’s where she works in the department of pediatrics in the primary care setting.

Dr. Horowitz is a pediatric psychologist and senior associate scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• How they developed and validated the ASQ
• How the ASQ complements the depression screening tool
• The differences between screening and conducting a risk assessment
• An overview of the four questions from the ASQ
• The blueprint for youth suicide prevention
• The value of suicide risk screening and other important outcomes to consider

Pediatric mental health at Children’s Hospital Colorado

The Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Colorado provides the highest quality mental health services to children, adolescents and their families. We strive to deliver evidence-based, family-focused and youth-centered services that make a difference.