Alcohol and Other Drug Use: The Connection to Youth Suicide; Abstracts of Selected Research

• NCJ Number: 159422
• Author(s): K Laws; A Turner
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 86 pages
• Publication Type: Bibliography
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents the abstracts of 39 research articles to provide an overview of the link between alcohol and other drug abuse and youth suicide, as well as to provide a review of what some schools and communities are doing regarding suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

Abstract

The publications abstracted raise several key issues. They indicate that suicide is not limited or of concern only to a small segment of the adolescent population. Further, ideators, attempters, and completers share many of the same symptoms and risk-taking behaviors, including depression, low self-esteem, stress, and interpersonal problems. Among the risk-taking behaviors, alcohol and other drug abuse is often identified as a major contributing factor in adolescent suicide. It is also important to identify and treat the conditions known to predispose children and teenagers to suicidal behavior before they succumb to suicidal ideation. The use of alcohol or other drugs is predominant among suicide victims who used firearms to kill themselves. A critical component of school policy is a suicide postvention plan that provides emergency crisis intervention and treatment after a crisis. Comprehensive mental health education programs should include not only school personnel but representatives from various community agencies. There is no agreement as to whether to provide suicide prevention to the entire student body of a school or only to those students who have been identified as at risk. Extensive evaluation is recommended, since there is no conclusive evidence as to the effectiveness of suicide prevention curricula and programs. The authors of this paper conclude that the link between alcohol and adolescent suicide is clear. To address this issue, schools and communities must meet the needs of youth by providing a well- planned and comprehensive approach to suicide prevention and intervention. 39 references and a list of school and community suicide prevention program development materials