Declines in suicidal ideation in adolescents being treated in early intervention service

The aim of the present study was to investigate how levels of suicidal ideation changed during treatment in an early intervention service. One hundred and thirty adolescents from an early intervention and detection team in southern Finland were assessed before and after treatment. The proportion of participants endorsing suicidal ideation declined significantly between baseline and follow up, and this was unrelated to medication. Results suggest that the early intervention service may be beneficial in reducing suicidal feelings in young people at risk of psychosis. However, the lack of a control group means that caution should be taken in linking the decline to the treatment itself.