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Background: In South Korea, the leading cause of youth death has been suicide for about 20 years. In this study, we conducted a multi-method psychological autopsy to identify the psychiatric diagnosis, developmental history, personality traits, family history, school life, warning signs of suicide, and risk factors related to suicide for the first time in Korea. Methods: This was a postmortem, retrospective, and descriptive study of 36 adolescents who died by suicide between August 2015 and July 2021 in South Korea. We obtained qualitative and quantitative data from the Korean Psychological Autopsy of Adolescent, conducted by the Suicide and School Mental Health Institute, the official student mental health policy-focused research institute of the Korean Ministry of Education. Results: The adolescents comprised equal percentage of girls and boys. Approximately half of the deaths (55.6%) occurred at home and most (72.2%) involved jumping from a height. Most of the adolescents (97.2%) had one major psychiatric disorder before death, with depressive disorder being the most prevalent (75%). They were at a high risk for internet addiction before death. The most common personality trait was avoidance (28.6%), followed by submissiveness (27.3%). Half of the parents reported that the adolescents were satisfied with their school life and the teachers observed that they had no behavioral problems. One year before death, seven (19.4%) adolescents injured themselves and five (13.9%) had attempted suicide. Most of the deceased (80.6%) had expressed suicide warning signs to their families within one year before death. Adolescents had a long experience of family-related adverse events. Conclusions: Most of the adolescents had mental health disorders and expressed suicidal intentions using verbal and nonverbal signs. However, it was challenging for families to recognize the risk signs because of adolescents' personality traits or a good school life. To prevent adolescent suicide, adolescents, parents, and teachers need to be educated to recognize signs of suicide warning signs and equipped to guide adolescents to appropriate care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of childhood suicidal deaths among elementary school students that occurred from 2011 to 2015 in Korea., Methods: The report form of each suicide case by the teacher in charge to the Education Ministry was reviewed retrospectively., Results: There were 19 suicidal deaths (12 boys, 7 girls) in elementary school students. The youngest case was a third grader (n = 1). Jumping from heights (n = 12) was the most frequently used method. Most suicides (n = 12) were committed in their homes., Conclusion: These results highlight the alarming trend of early suicidal deaths and the importance of early suicide prevention strategies, especially in schools.