There was "clear evidence" that behaviour programmes focused on primary school children, contributed to reducing "later adolescent suicidality as wall as other unwanted behaviours".

This recommendation is contained Sir Peter Gluckman' report on youth suicide released on Wednesday.

Gluckman is the prime minister's chief science adviser.

The evidence-based discussion paper analyses the multiple factors involved in youth suicide and includes potential approaches to reduce New Zealand's rates.

The report says youth suicide is "more than simply a mental health issue and that, with what we know at present, the focus must also include an emphasis on primary prevention starting from very early in life".

"It also means raising mental health awareness and "ensuring that there are competent and adequate adult and peer support systems in secondary schools," Gluckman said.

The real problem with youth suicide was, "you can't predict it at the individual level".

"There are an awful lot of arguments and an awful lot of failed approaches in youth suicide," he said.

"That's why we're emphasising we need to be very careful with any intervention we do."

New Zealand's youth suicide rates are among the highest in the developed world.

The report has been prepared by Sir Peter Gluckman in conjunction with the Departmental Science Advisors from the Ministries of Health Education Justice and Social Development

It has had input from officials in the Ministry of Health.

If you need to talk to someone, the following free helplines operate 24/7:

• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354
• Need to Talk? Call or text 1737
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234

There are lots of places to get support. For others, click here.

Source

• New Zealand Herald
• Stuff
• The Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor
• Image: TWAS

The Unicef - Innocenti study ranked New Zealand 34th out of 41 OECD countries.

A core reason for this was our adolescent suicide rates, the highest in the world, and high rates of teen pregnancy, baby mortality and child murder. Continue reading

Krystal was 12 when she killed herself.

The Auckland foster child had just had a violent argument with her 7-year-old sister over pocket money and both girls were sent to their room without dinner.

At the time, her foster mother knew Krystal was dealing with a lot, including guilt for breaking up her family of eight children after making allegations of sexual abuse against a former caregiver. She was missing her siblings.

But the woman, a caregiver with nine years' experience, felt the little girl from Northland was making progress - she had new friends, new clothes and a new Bebo page.

The last thing anyone expected was for Krystal's younger sister to come back downstairs just hours after the fight saying Krystal was dead.

"Krystal was more emotionally fragile than anyone realised at the time," a Child, Youth and Family manager told the inquest into her death last week. She was the youngest child to take her own life in state care. Social workers were unaware of the suicide risk because of her age, the manager said.

Krystal, whose last name is permanently suppressed to protect her siblings, died in 2008. Her death is yet to be ruled on by the coroner but there seems to be no doubt it was self-inflicted by a method that cannot be made public. Since then, there have been a handful of other pre-teen deaths that are also believed to be suicides, including a 10-year-old who died from a gunshot wound to the head, and a child aged between 5 and 9 who died last year.

"I think that kind of stuns people a bit to think that people that young could commit suicide," says chief coroner Neil MacLean.

"Most people struggle to even understand teen suicide - unless they're a teenager - so this is one of those things that really hit home." Read more

Sources

• Stuff
• Image: Injury Board