Objective:

to characterize the suicidal attempt in adolescents of a community center of mental health.

Methods:

a descriptive, traverse study was carried out in an area of mental health, with a population of 80 adolescents which left a sample of 41 with suicidal attempts belonging to the polyclinic José Ramón León Acosta in Santa Clara. It was used empiric methods; open interviews, revision of the individual clinical histories and of family health.

Results:

it prevailed the masculine sex, 82.8 % of the adolescents with ages between the 12 and 15 years old, the 78 % of them began to attempt against their lives. The most frequent causes why they began were the family conflicts and the presence of imitation, it was demonstrated that the adolescents use diverse methods such as toxic substances for a total of 39.0 % and followed by the hanging which represents 24.4 %.

Conclusions:

the difficulties are related with the inadequate attitudes of the parents and the psychosocial pressure in groups by adolescents that obey a code of companionship.

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