World Day

Suicide risk among young people: here are the warning signs to look out for

Self-harm and ‘social withdrawal’, along with substance abuse, are among the warning signs that should not be underestimated

by Barbara Gobbi

9 September 2026

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5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The situation in Italia
Crucial prevention
Surge in visits to the Bambino Gesù Hospital
Telefono Amico Italia: 24 per cent rise in enquiries in six months
The signs to look out for

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

There is a youth crisis centred on psychological distress and suicidal thoughts, which experts – from psychologists to child neuropsychiatrists to emergency service staff – have been highlighting for years now and are drawing attention to once again to mark World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.

UNICEF has reported the figures for the global situation, stating that every 9 minutes a teenager aged between 15 and 19 dies by suicide. According to the latest figures from Report Card 20 – ‘Unequal Opportunities – Children and Economic Inequality’ – the lowest suicide rates (2023 figures) in wealthy countries were recorded in three countries in the Mediterranean region: Cyprus, Greece and Malta. The highest rate was recorded in Uruguay, followed by New Zealand. The suicide rate is generally higher amongst boys than amongst girls.

UNICEF is shining a spotlight on the possible causes of this phenomenon, such as exposure to violence and gender norms. As Nicola Graziano, President of the Italia section of the UN agency, points out, ‘children and young people need safe, inclusive and supportive environments where they feel included, valued and able to ask for help without fear of being stigmatised, judged or discriminated against’. Digital technologies play a significant role: according to the latest report, ‘Through Children’s Eyes: How Digital Technologies Enable Child Sexual Abuse’, children who are victims of technology-facilitated exploitation are four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviours and self-harm (data for 2020–2025).

The situation in Italia

In Italia, the suicide mortality rate amongst 15–19-year-olds is 2.82 per 100,000, one of the lowest rates in Europe. However, experts from Sinpia, the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, point out that whilst self-harm affects around 1 in 5 adolescents in Europe, in Italy, among those aged 15 to 29, suicide is still the third leading cause of death after road traffic accidents and cancer; and among males, it is the second. Hence the call to ‘promote neuropsychiatric health from early childhood, recognise risk signs at an early stage and ensure a local network for care provision’.

Crucial prevention

“Prevention is the most effective tool for combating suicidal behaviour, which develops through the interplay of biological vulnerabilities, emotional and relational factors, and environmental factors,” emphasises Elisa Fazzi, President of Sinpia. We must learn to take action by promoting neuropsychiatric health from the earliest stages of life, strengthening all emotional and relational regulation skills, and creating a network of adults around children and adolescents who are able to listen and recognise the warning signs, both within the family and in society. Talking about neuropsychiatric wellbeing and asking for help must become normal behaviours, not something to be ashamed of.”

Surge in visits to the Bambino Gesù

According to Stefano Vicari, head of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital and full professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the number of emergency cases handled at the Holy See’s paediatric hospital has increased more than tenfold in 15 years. ‘The rise in requests for help is also evident from the clinical experience at the Bambino Gesù,’ he explains: ‘the number of neuropsychiatric consultations carried out in A&E has risen from 155 in 2011 to 1,675 in 2025. Over the same period, admissions for self-harm, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide have risen from 12 to 445. These figures,” continues Vicari, “tell us that the psychological distress experienced by children and adolescents is increasingly reaching crisis levels. We must not fuel alarmism, but neither should we downplay the signs of distress: self-harm, withdrawal, despair or statements about no longer wanting to be here must be taken seriously. Asking a young person if they are thinking about death does not put the idea of suicide into their head, but can offer them the chance to talk about their suffering. Prevention means intervening before that suffering becomes an emergency, but also ensuring that when a young person or a family seeks help, they find services capable of providing a timely and appropriate response.’

Telefono Amico Italia: 24 per cent rise in enquiries in six months

A youth crisis is also evident in the figures reported by Telefono Amico Italia, which, from 10 September, will extend its counselling service to operate 24 hours a day. “For the first time,” the organisation announced, “our volunteers will be available at all times, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, for those experiencing emotional distress or struggling with suicidal thoughts.”
The figures are indeed alarming: over 4,200 people sought help from Telefono Amico Italia in the first six months of 2026, either because they were experiencing suicidal thoughts or were concerned about a loved one – a figure 24 per cent higher than in the same period of 2025.

And it is the younger generation who are of particular concern: the majority of requests for help – 53 per cent – come from those under 35. The age groups that contacted Telefono Amico Italia most frequently with reports relating to suicide, across all three helpline channels, were those aged 19–25 and 26–35. Those aged 19–25 accounted for 20.5 per cent of callers, whilst 19 per cent were in the 26–35 age group. Thirty per cent of those who messaged via WhatsApp are aged between 19 and 25, and 20 per cent are aged between 26 and 35. Finally, amongst those who wrote to the email service, 25 per cent were aged between 26 and 35, and 17.5 per cent were aged between 19 and 25.

Signs to look out for

“The most effective form of prevention,” explains neuropsychiatrist Michela Gatta, Head of Child Neuropsychiatry at the Padua University Hospital Trust, “is to identify young people’s distress at an early stage, through a network that brings together the family, schools, paediatrics, child neuropsychiatry, local services and A&E. It is also helpful to reduce stigma through clear public communication: asking for help is not a failure or a pointless act, but a measure of safety and protection.”

The most important warning signs to look out for are ‘obvious and persistent changes in emotional, behavioural and social-relational terms: a decline in performance, marked irritability or sadness, insomnia, loss of interest, self-deprecating remarks, social withdrawal, ‘sudden’ giving away or tidying up of personal belongings, self-harm, alcohol or substance abuse, and direct or indirect references to death as a solution’, adds Gatta. ‘For parents, teachers and peers,’ he concludes, ‘the key point is to take any sudden change seriously, even when the young person downplays it. It is difficult for young people to ask for help, because they often fear judgement, punishment, a lack of understanding or ridicule. In many cases, shame also plays a part, as does the fear of letting their family down, a lack of confidence that an adult can truly understand, or the fear that speaking out will cause them to lose control of the situation. The result is that psychological distress remains unexpressed or unrecognised until it becomes urgent, and may then manifest itself, particularly in young people, in an impulsive manner.’