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Information about suicide screening at Children’s Wisconsin
At Children’s Wisconsin we believe that caring for a child’s mental and behavioral health is just as important as caring for their physical health. Because we care about your child’s mental health, we screen children ages 10 and older for suicide. Your child may be screened in primary care, urgent care, specialty care or if they are admitted to the hospital. Children’s Wisconsin has been screening for suicide in our emergency department since 2018.
By doing this, we hope to find children who may be have mental health concerns so their caregivers and health care team can help support them. Talking about suicide does not increase risk of suicide. Talking about suicide not only reduces the stigma, but also allows individuals to seek help, rethink their opinions and share their story with others.
In Wisconsin and in our country, we have a mental health crisis. Suicide affects people of all ages, not just teenagers. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34.
We understand that this is hard to talk about. Children’s Wisconsin is here to help.