Suicide Among Adolescents With Mentally Ill Parents

Children of mentally ill persons are a high-risk group. They have an increased suicide rate and are affected by their parents' mental illnesses in other diverse ways. Caregivers of adults with major psychiatric disorders should be aware of these children's vulnerabilities and should arrange for direct assessment. Early interventions may not only prevent the type of tragedies reported here but may also ameliorate the unnecessary suffering and psychiatric sequelae that often attend parental mental illness for thousands of children.