Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Dec 2022)
Identifying and Managing Suicidality in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Pain: Evidence-Based Treatment Strategies
Abstract
Timothy Rice, Leo Sher Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Timothy Rice, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1090 Amsterdam Avenue, 13th Floor, Suite A, Office 5, New York, NY, 10025, USA, Tel +1 212 523 5635, Fax +1 212 523 5650, Email [email protected]: Children and adolescents with chronic pain are at an increased risk of suicidality. This narrative review article aims to inform clinical practice in the assessment and management of suicidality in youth with chronic pain. The article begins with a survey of the background and prevalence of youth with chronic pain. A review of the current evidence behind the increased risk of suicidality in youth with chronic pain follows. Contextualization of this data with general tenets of child and adolescent suicide risk and risk assessment is provided. Suicidology theory including the interpersonal theory of suicide is overviewed to help clinicians to conceptualize the reviewed data. Guiding parameters for the suicide risk assessment and management planning is presented. Concluding recommendations are made to guide clinical practice in the assessment and management of suicidality in youth with chronic pain.Keywords: chronic pain, suicidality, suicide risk, suicide assessment, children, adolescents
