Prevalence of Cocaine Use Among Residents of New York City Who Committed Suicide During a One-Year Period

• NCJ Number: 154359
• Journal: American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 149 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1992) Pages: 371-375
• Author(s): P M Marzuk; K Tardiff; A C Leon; M Stajic; E B Morgan; J J Mann
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 5 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA-06534
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

Autopsy and toxicology records of the 482 persons ages 60 or less who had committed suicide in New York City during 1985 and who had survival times under 48 hours were reviewed to determine demographic characteristics, suicide methods, and cocaine and alcohol use at the time of death.

Abstract

Results revealed that in one of every five cases studied, the person who committed suicide had used cocaine within days of his or her death. The prevalence of cocaine use among young Hispanic males who committed suicide was 45 percent. Persons who were young, black, or Hispanic and who had used alcohol immediately before death were most likely to have been recent cocaine users. After controlling for demographic variables and alcohol use, the research also revealed that individuals who committed suicide with firearms were twice as likely to have used cocaine as those who used other methods. Findings suggest a high prevalence of cocaine use in the days immediately preceding suicide, in contrast to the prevalence of 3-5 percent revealed in regional and household surveys of New York City. Further research is needed to determine how cocaine may act as a risk factor for suicide. Tables and 29 references (Author abstract modified)