Researchers found a shocking number of teens with known mental health problems also have access to firearms in their homes.
About 41 percent of teens with mental illnesses who reported having a firearm present in their home also claimed to have easy access to it, Reuters reported.
"Our goal of this study was to find out if those recommendations were being implemented effectively in the community," said Dr. Joseph Simonetti, the study's lead author from the University of Washington School of Medicine's Harborview Medical Center in Seattle told Reuters.
The researchers noted there have been lower suicide risks reported in homes that practice safe and secure methods of firearm storage.
To make their findings the researchers looked at data of data taken between 2001 and 2004 from 10,123 U.S. teens between ages 13 and 18 years. The team found older, male and non-Hispanic teens had the highest likelihood of having access to a firearms. Teenagers living in rural or wealthy households also tended to have increased access to firearms.
"One of the limitations of this study is we're using data that was collected from 2001 to 2004," Simonetti said. "We need better studies on how to promote safe firearms storage especially in households with children and children with mental illness."
Some of these improved storage methods included using gun locks and taking care to hide the keys from children and teenagers who also live in the household.
"There is a disconnect between these generally agreed upon storage methods and what's happening in the community," Simonetti said.
American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise healthcare recommend healthcare providers keep their patients informed about gun safety, especially for families containing at-risk youths.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
