Suicide attempts in a population pregnant as teen-agers.

PREGNANCY, childbearing, and motherhood are normal biological events rather than disease processes, but even in the mature married woman they disturb the usual pattern of social life. For the teen-age girl, particularly if unmarried, pregnancy and the events which follow are especially likely to cause difficulty for the individual, those immediately associated with her, and society. Other authors1-3 have reviewed some of the problems associated with teenage pregnancies, such as disrupted education, welfare dependency, and increased fertility. A review of the medical records of 105 pregnant females 17 years of age or younger admitted to the Yale-New Haven Hospital for delivery during 1959 and 1960 suggested an additional potential difficulty -the possibility of suicide-threatened, attempted, or actually committed. This study revealed that 14 of the young mothers were known to have made subsequently one or more self-destructive attempts or threats serious enough to require care or to be reported to a physician at the hospital. The study population received its obstetrical care in the period before the emphasis on programs for teen-age mothers. Some were patients of private physicians, but the majority were seen by obstetrical residents, medical students, and staff physicians in the general obstetrical clinic.4 As a group they were offered no special social services, although in individual cases the need was so obvious that a social worker was assigned. They were excluded from school when their condition became apparent and limited educational alternatives were provided.5 Today in New Haven, and in many other cities throughout the United States, such girls are being offered programs that include unified medical care, augmented social services, and special educationafl provisions. It is hoped these programs will make a significant difference in the life of these young mothers and their children. Some reports are already indicating lower rates of medical complications among mothers and infants8 and decreases in early school terminations.1 Studies now under way may show that the attention being