Substance Use and Suicide

Suicide is reportedly the eleventh leading cause of death in the US, accounting for more than 34,000 deaths per year. An even greater number of individuals attempt suicide or have suicidal thoughts each year. There could be various reasons for individuals to attempt or consider suicide. However, emerging studies have discovered a strong link between substance abuse and suicide.

Individuals with substance use disorders are six times more likely to commit or attempt suicide than those without substance use disorders. Numerous studies have also discovered that past suicide attempts and current suicidal thoughts are quite prevalent among those in alcohol and drug addiction treatment.

• Individuals with substance use disorders are 2.04 times more likely to consider suicide, 2.49 times more likely to attempt it, and 1.49 times more likely to commit it.
• Around 25 percent of individuals with substance use disorders commit suicide.
• Over 50 percent of all suicides are related to substance use disorders.
• More than 70 percent of adolescent suicides are related to alcohol and drug addiction.
• Individuals with substance abuse retain a 10 to 14 times greater risk of death by suicide than the general population.
• In 2015, about 2.5 million adults with substance use disorders (12.7 percent) had seriously considered suicide, 800,000 (4.1 percent) had made suicide plans, and 429,000 (2.2 percent) had attempted suicide the previous year.
• According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), emergency room visits involving substance abuse-related suicide attempts accelerated by 41 percent from 2004 to 2011.
• In 2005, more than 132,500 emergency room visits were made for substance abuse-related suicide attempts.
• In 2004, over 15,000 emergency room visits were made by adolescents aged 12 to 17 for substance abuse-related suicide attempts. About 75 percent of these emergency room visits were severe enough to require hospitalization.

Although there are various risk factors for suicide, alcohol use disorders have consistently been implicated in inciting suicidal thoughts and behaviors in individuals.

• Nearly 1 to 6 percent of individuals with alcohol dependency commit suicide.
• Acute alcohol intoxication is present in about 30 to 40 percent of all suicide cases in America.
• According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the risk of suicide is ten times greater in individuals with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence or addiction than in the general population.
• Of the 139.9 million adults who consumed alcohol in the past month in 2015, about 5.7 million reported having serious thoughts of suicide, 1.5 million reported making suicide plans, and 781,000 reported attempting suicide in the previous year.
• A study on the elderly has found out that approximately 24.5 percent of adults aged 60 to 69 and 13 percent of adults aged 70 to 79 had consumed alcohol before attempting suicide.
• Suicide rates in individuals aged 18 to 20 notably decreased in states where the legal drinking age was re-established to 21.
• In 2015, about 4.2 percent of past month alcohol users, 4.4 percent of past-year alcohol users, 5.1 percent of past month binge drinkers, and 5.7 percent of past month heavy binge drinkers had serious thoughts of suicide.

Illicit drug use and abuse have been linked to various cases of suicides in the US. Studies have suggested that illicit drug use influences suicidal behaviors in individuals.

• Individuals with a dependence on illicit drugs are 14 times more likely to die by suicide.
• Studies indicate that around 20 percent of individuals who died by suicide had used cocaine in the days leading to their death.
• Opiates were present in 20 percent of suicide deaths, cocaine in 4.6 percent, marijuana in 10.2 percent, and amphetamines in 3.2 percent.
• Of the 39.8 million past year illicit drug users in 2014, about 3.7 million had serious suicidal thoughts, 1.1 million made suicide plans, and 525,000 attempted suicide in the previous year.
• Of the 43.4 million past year illicit drug users in 2015, about 4.2 million had serious thoughts of suicide, 1.3 million made suicide plans, and 723,000 attempted suicide in the previous year.

In addition to the many diseases, disabilities, and premature deaths, caused by smoking tobacco, it also contributes to an increased risk of suicide.

• Smokers are two to four times more likely to commit suicide than non-smokers.
• A $1 increase in tobacco tax is associated with a 12 percent decrease in suicide rates amongst individuals between 18 to 62 years of age.
• From 1990 to 2004, there was a significant drop in suicide rates in states that pursued aggressive tobacco-control policies, while the states that had low cigarette taxes saw a 6 percent increase in suicide rates.
• Between 1976 to 1988, Individuals who smoked 1 to 24 cigarettes per day had twice the likelihood of committing suicide than those who had never smoked.
• According to the information collected between 1976 and 1988, Women who smoked more than 25 cigarettes per day were four times more likely to commit suicide in the following two years than the women who never smoked.