In the United States (U.S.), premature mortality in adulthood from suicide, alcohol-related disease, and substance overdoses has increased steadily over the past two decades. To better understand these trends, it is necessary to first examine the harmful behaviors that often precede these preventable deaths (i.e., suicidal ideation and attempts, and harmful alcohol and substance use). Representing critical developmental periods in which psychopathology is most likely to emerge, childhood and adolescence provide an informative lens through which to investigate susceptibility to harmful behaviors. This article synthesizes current evidence describing these rising U.S. mortality rates and the prevalence rates of harmful behaviors linked to these types of mortality. A brief selective review of longitudinal research on harmful behaviors in relation to the most relevant categories of child and adolescent psychopathology is then provided. Finally, recommendations for future research and implications for prevention are discussed.

在美国，过去二十年来，因自杀、酒精相关疾病和药物过量导致的成年过早死亡率稳步上升。为了更好地了解这些趋势，有必要首先检查通常在这些可预防的死亡之前发生的有害行为（即自杀意念和企图，以及有害的酒精和药物使用）。童年和青春期代表了精神病理学最有可能出现的关键发展时期，为研究有害行为的易感性提供了一个信息丰富的视角。本文综合了当前的证据，描述了美国不断上升的死亡率以及与这些类型的死亡率相关的有害行为的流行率。然后对与儿童和青少年精神病理学最相关类别相关的有害行为的纵向研究进行了简短的选择性回顾。最后，讨论了对未来研究的建议和对预防的影响。