Suicide Risks Among Adopted TeensIn a recent article published by Fox News, it is stated that a new study shows a relationship between suicidal tendencies and adopted teens. This article is based on a Swedish study that found that adopted children attempted suicide more often and a similar study conducted at the University of Minnesota by Margaret Keyes, a psychologist specializing in American adopted children. The article points out that studies do not directly show that all adopted children will attempt suicide or have suicidal thoughts and tendencies, but rather raise the question of why children have these feelings and thoughts. The Minnesota study shows that over the three years of the study, 56 participants attempted suicide, of the fifty-six attempts, 47 were adopted. And when self-harm was taken into account, the number of adopted children was 3.7 times higher than the number of non-adopted children (Fox, 2013). This article has several areas that need further investigation to explain the relationship between adoption and suicide. Currently, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents aged 10 to 24 (Fox, 2013) and these studies may eventually lead to an explanation and prevention program for parents and psychologists to detect risk factors before they become risk factors. late to act. Although it is claimed that this study was not diverse enough to generalize nationally, several concerning questions arise. Why are adopted children more likely to be exposed to suicidal behavior and attempts? Are there other factors contributing to risk? Are children adopted internationally or domestically at higher risk? However, one question is easy to answer: This is not the stereotypical “teen angst...... middle of paper ...... at http://www.foxnews. com/health/2013/09/11/adopted adolescents may be at higher risk of suicide/Reinoso, M., Juffer, F., & Tieman, W. (2013). Children's and parents' thoughts and feelings regarding adoption, birth cultural identity, and discrimination in families with internationally adopted children. Developmental Psychology, 18(3), 264-274. Retrieved from http://ejournals.ebsco.com.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu/Direct.asp?AccessToken=9IIIMIJ8X5D5KEREZM4EMUQ4D9PK8X5QIX&Show=ObjectWilcox, H.C., Kuramoto, J., Brent, D., & Runeson, B. (2012 , 03 1). The interaction of parental history of suicidal behavior and exposure to psychiatric disorders of adoptive parents on hospitalizations for suicide attempts of adoptees. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(3), 309-315. Retrieved from http://ejournals.ebsco.com.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu/Direct.asp?AccessToken=2999F9A8S9FHBA9ZF1HYZEXLMZHH8S319S&Show=Object