A study conducted by the Anne & Robert H.Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, has found that teenagers with increased access to guns are more likely to try suicide. The study also concluded that one in three teenagers who went to the emergency room had moderate or severe depression. Unfortunately, 40% of these children could access firearms.
Researchers also found that teenagers with access to guns were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide after obtaining a firearm from their home or within 24 hours from another location.
According to Dr Samaa Kemal, thread study author and a paediatric emergency fellow, these findings show the importance of screening teenagers who are sent to the emergency room for suicide. It also shows the need to assess their access to guns. This move would help deal with the current mental health crisis among the youth.
Children are required to undergo suicide risk screening in the emergency room
The researchers also point out that the Joint Commission often asks children aged 12 or more to undergo screening for suicide risk in the emergency room. Moreover, the commission usually requires children to be assessed for access to guns. However, the findings are often inconsistent.
Suicide has always been a problem among the youth as it is the second most common cause of death. Unfortunately, the cases of suicide are increasing. The number has doubled in the last ten years.
A study that was conducted from 2015 to 2020 has shown that children aged 14 to 18 are more like to use guns to attempt suicide. Additionally, 7 in 10 children who use guns for suicide found the firearms in their homes.
How the study was conducted
For this new study, the researchers evaluated 15,000 patients. These patients were between the ages of 14 and 18 and had been admitted to the emergency department. Results indicated that 14% of them had easy access to guns.
The risk was higher in children who had experienced sexual assault, abuse from their caregivers and verbal abuse from their partners. These factors made children more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
The pandemic has led to an increase in mental health issues among the youth. It has also increased the number of guns Americans won. As a result, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children.
