Frequency and clinical features of pervasive developmental disorder in adolescent suicide attempts

ObjectiveThe goal of this clinical study was to examine the frequency and clinical features of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) relative to suicide attempts by adolescents.MethodNinety-four adolescent patients under age 20 participated in this study; it was a consecutive study of individuals who had attempted suicide and had been hospitalized for inpatient treatment.ResultsTwelve of the 94 subjects (12.8%) were diagnosed with PDD. The ratio of males in the PDD group was higher than that in the non-PDD group (P=.017). There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the rate of patients having mood or anxiety disorder (P=.037).ConclusionThis study indicates that PDD should always be a consideration when dealing with adolescent suicide attempts.