Published: 2021-03-13

Children’s and Adolescents’ Suicide Attempts: an Urgent Need for Poland to Adopt a National Prevention Strategy

Arkadiusz Paweł Szajna
Zeszyty Prawnicze
Section: Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/zp.2021.21.1.09

Abstract

An examination of current statistical data published by the Polish police leads to a conclusion that the country still has a problem with attempted suicide in the under 18 age group, and what’s worse, the figures are rising (730 cases in 2017, 772 in 2018, 951 in 2019).

This article highlights the risk factors increasing the likelihood of children or adolescents attempting to commit suicide. Attempted suicide by children with depressive disorders is less likely to lead to death than such attempts by adolescents. In addition, I observed that more of the adolescents had a negative assessment of themselves, the world and their future prospects, and that self-destructive behaviour was more prevalent in the adolescents. There was a very high risk of a suicide attempt for the adolescent group.

The article also raises the issue of the need for the Polish authorities to draw up and implement a suicide prevention strategy as part of the national health programme. I present the postulates formulated by the participants of Poland’s first national congress on suicide, which are still valid now, when the figures for suicide are giving cause for serious concern. I also discuss selected suicide prevention programmes and campaigns.

Keywords:

suicide; children; adolescents; prevention.

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Citation rules

Szajna, A. P. (2021). Children’s and Adolescents’ Suicide Attempts: an Urgent Need for Poland to Adopt a National Prevention Strategy. Zeszyty Prawnicze, 21(1), 243–270. https://doi.org/10.21697/zp.2021.21.1.09

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