Assessing and engaging suicidal teenagers in psychoanalytic psychotherapy: a case consultation.

Assessing and engaging suicidal adolescents in psychoanalytic psychotherapy is filled with complexity and stress, but offers a potential for lasting suicide prevention. This study provides a detailed account of the initial psychotherapy sessions with a suicidal teenager, drawing extensively on the comprehensive notes taken by the therapist. Four discussants were invited to provide their perspectives as to how they would assess the main factors in the case and from this to provide a brief commentary for their own perspectives. This study concludes with a discussion of the differences and commonalities between the various contributions.