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Objective: By analysing the suicide notes from suicide victims 15 years and younger, we attempt to gain insight into the process leading to youth suicide and explore the characteristics of the note writers., Method: During a psychological autopsy on 42 youths, we were entrusted with 23 suicide notes in which we explored the themes and compared the note writers to the non-note writers., Results: The key messages were as follows: explain the reason for suicide, declare love and give instructions. The note writers had showed suicidal behaviour more frequently than non-note writers., Conclusion: In the notes from youth suicide victims they present themselves as fully responsible and without confusion or overwhelming despair. The notes are likely equally informative as the notes of older victims., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Unlabelled: Executive deficits are reported in both early onset bipolar disorder (BD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and controversies regarding comorbidity and symptom overlap have complicated the research on executive function in BD. Reports of the negative impact of executive difficulties on academic functioning indicate a need for a greater focus on executive difficulties in early onset psychiatric disorders. Executive function and processing speed in youths with BD (n = 4), ADHD (n = 26) and BD + ADHD (n = 13) were compared with controls (n = 69). All clinical groups demonstrated executive impairment. The combined group was most impaired. There were no significant differences between the groups. Executive deficit in the BD group was associated with a history of psychotic symptoms. The BD-nonpsychotic group was impaired only with regard to processing speed. Processing speed adjustment improved working memory and normalized interference control in both BD and ADHD., Conclusion: executive deficits in BD may be determined by a history of psychotic symptoms rather than by comorbid ADHD. Some aspects of executive problems appear speed-related.