Youth Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Research Center
If you need immediate assistance, please call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in children and young adults ages 10 to 24, with more than 6,750 deaths a year. For children ages 3 to 17, 3.2%— some 1.9 million kids — have been diagnosed with depression, and there are more who go undiagnosed.
The Youth Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Research Center (Y-SPIRC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was created to turn around these grim statistics by taking a holistic approach. The Center, part of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, incorporates clinical care, research, education and community engagement as ways to improve the identification and treatment of depression and other mental illnesses that can lead to suicide in children and youth.
Our ambitious goal is zero youth suicides.
Talking to Your Child About Suicide
Children and teens are at greater risk for suicide now than before COVID-19. Learn how to start the conversation about mental health with your child.