Towards Identification of Behavioral and Neural Predictors of Adolescent Suicidality

For youth with major depressive disorder (MDD), stress can play an important role in contributing to the severity of depression and the presence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. While stress plays a significant role, more knowledge is needed in regard to the specific types of stress (e.g., chronic, dependent, independent, rejection-based) that may be at play, and whether they have a different impact depending on when in the course of depression they occur.

Dr. Jeremy Stewart examined stressors in adolescents with current MDD and suicide ideation compared to adolescents with no history of mental health diagnoses or suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Dr. Stewart found that ongoing (i.e., chronic) stress was strongly linked to depression, especially in teens with a history of maternal MDD. Interestingly, there was not a difference in stress severity between teens who had thoughts of suicide and those who made a suicide attempt. However, those who had attempted suicide were more likely to have experienced rejection from others. These findings show that certain types of stress can play a role in teenage depression and suicidal ideation and behavior. This highlights the importance of observing the degree of stress in youths, as well as what the stress is about when determining how to best support youth.

Citation: Stewart, J. G., Pizzagalli, D. A., & Auerbach, R. P. (2023). Stress exposure in at-risk, depressed, and suicidal adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13935