Brain scans reveal how a teenager’s reaction to loss connects impulsivity and suicidal thoughts

A neuroimaging study of adolescents found that the association between impulsivity and future suicidal thoughts depends on how the right anterior insula, a region of the brain involved in processing emotions, reacts to loss. In adolescents whose anterior insula reacted with strong activation to a small monetary loss, high impulsivity was associated with elevated suicidal thoughts a year later. In contrast, in adolescents whose anterior insula did not react strongly to loss, higher impulsivity was associated with lower levels of suicidal thoughts. The paper was published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among U.S. youth. Despite ongoing prevention efforts, statistics show that youth suicide rates have increased in recent years. Usually, suicidal behavior is preceded by periods during which a person thinks about death and suicide, a concept known as suicidal ideation. These thoughts can range from general contemplations about ending one’s life to making specific plans.

Suicidal thoughts tend to appear when a person feels trapped, hopeless, isolated, or in unbearable emotional pain. They can occur alongside depression, trauma, substance use, or other situations of intense distress. Not every person with suicidal thoughts wants to die permanently, as many simply want their pain to stop or wish to escape an unbearable situation.