LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF SUICIDAL IDEATION IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

Suicidal behavior in childhood and adolescence has become one of the most pressing contemporary public health emergencies, presenting unique challenges due to the specificities of psychological development in this age group. This bibliographic study aimed to analyze the limitations and challenges faced in the psychological assessment of suicidal ideation in young people. The results indicate a critical gap in professional training and a shortage of validated instruments for children under 12, often resulting in the invisibility of childhood suffering. It is emphasized that children and adolescents tend to express existential pain through acting out or psychosomatic symptoms, requiring the evaluator to master playful and projective resources to access their internal reality. The study concludes that overcoming these limitations requires the implementation of universal screening protocols, the strengthening of support networks (family and school), and a paradigm shift that prioritizes qualified listening and clinical differentiation between non-suicidal self-injury and actual death intent.