Encounters for suicide ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) at US children’s hospitals increased steadily from 2008 to 2015 and accounted for an increasing percentage of all hospital encounters, according to a recent study. Increases were noted across all age groups, with consistent seasonal patterns that persisted over the study period. Researchers examined trends in emergency and inpatient encounters for SI and SA at US children’s hospitals from 2008 to 2015. Using retrospective analysis of administrative billing data from the Pediatric Health Information System database, they found:

• There were 115,856 SI and SA encounters during the study period.
• Annual percentage of all visits for SI and SA almost doubled, increasing from 0.66% in 2008 to 1.82% in 2015.
• Significant increases were noted in all age groups but were higher in adolescents aged 15 to 17 years and adolescents 12 to 14 years.
• Increases were noted in girls and boys, but were higher for girls.
• Seasonal variation was also observed, with the lowest percentage of cases occurring during the summer and the highest during spring and fall.