Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Evidence suggests that the presence of a chronic medical illness is an independent risk factor for suicidality and completed suicide in both youth and adults. In addition, the period of childhood and adolescence is already a time of marked vulnerability for psychiatric disorders and suicidality, and youth with medical conditions or chronic illnesses are at an even greater risk for suicide. Previous research has identified elevated risk of suicidality in youth with chronic illness; however, the specific risk factors, psychiatric comorbidities, and etiology for suicide and related behaviors are unique, differ by illness, and are far less understood. The current systematic review provides an evaluation and synthesis of empirical literature from the past 30 years that investigated the relationship between specific chronic illnesses, suicide, and suicidality in a pediatric (under 18) population. Results of this synthesis demonstrates that the effects of chronic illness on youth suicidality are not homogenous as the pathways and risk factors can vary greatly for each specific disease. Given the considerable etiological heterogeneity for suicidality, this review provides clinicians and medical professionals with a clearer pathway to identification and delineation of risks for suicidality in specific illnesses allowing for better informed and more accurate interventions for children and adolescents with chronic illnesses who are at risk for suicide.

自杀是目前造成儿童和青少年死亡的第二大主要原因。有证据表明，无论是青年人还是成年人，慢性疾病的存在都是自杀和自杀完全的独立危险因素。此外，儿童期和青春期已经是精神疾病和自杀倾向的显着脆弱时期，患有医疗状况或慢性病的年轻人自杀的风险更大。先前的研究已经发现，患有慢性病的青年人自杀倾向的风险较高；但是，自杀的具体危险因素，精神病合并症和病因及相关行为是独特的，因疾病而异，并且了解甚少。当前的系统综述提供了对过去30年中经验文献的评估和综合，这些文献研究了小儿（18岁以下）人群中特定的慢性疾病，自杀和自杀倾向之间的关系。该合成结果表明，慢性病对青少年自杀的影响并不相同，因为每种特定疾病的途径和危险因素可能存在很大差异。鉴于自杀的巨大病因异质性，本综述为临床医生和医学专业人士提供了更清晰的途径来识别和描绘特定疾病中自杀倾向的风险，从而为患有慢性乙肝风险的慢性儿童和青少年提供了更好的知情和更准确的干预措施。自杀。