Media Reports of Suicide Risk Among Gay Youth Confirmed by Study

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Teenage bullying, especially of young gay people, and the heightened risk of suicide among victimized adolescents has made a lot of news recently. Is it real or is it media hype? In fact, a recent meta-analysis of 19 studies looking at depression and suicide among children and adolescents suggests it's all too real. Gay adolescents are three times as likely to report a history of suicidal ideation, suicidal intent, or suicidal attempts that require medical attention than are their straight peers, according to the study. Moreover, the disparity in suicide risk between gay and nongay youth appears to increase with each level of severity—ideation, intent with a plan, actual suicide attempts, and attempts requiring medical attention. For more information see Psychiatric News, http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/9/9.2.full.