BACKGROUND: More than 85% of hospital-admitted suicide acts involve alcohol or other drugs (AOD). Other countries and, to a modest extent, the US have documented the specific drugs involved in fatalities, generating considerable debate about antidepressants that are highly toxic in overdose. Virtually no systematic study has addressed whether substances of choice differ between youth and adults or how substances used in self-inflicted poisonings differ from substances used in suicide attempts by other means. METHODS: We cleaned, pooled, and analyzed 1997 hospital discharge data from 19 states that mandate external cause coding or voluntarily cause-code most discharges. These states house 50% of the US population. RESULTS: The data include 82,594 hospitalized nonfatal suicide discharges including 16,644 patients aged 10-20. Of 72,894 cases involving AOD, the primary suicide mechanism was poisoning in 91%. AOD was involved in 28% of youth and 42% of adult cases that were not poisoning, with alcohol dominating. Adults often used opiates or cocaine, youth cannabis or amphetamines. For both groups, 30% of poisoning cases involved antidepressant (youths' overwhelming choice) or tranquilizer overdose. 34% of adult and 14% of youth poisoning attempts involved alcohol. In both groups, 20% used multiple drugs. Youth were 2.5 times as likely to overdose just on prescription drugs that are not considered drugs of abuse, primarily anti-emetics, anti-allergics, and anti-convulsants. CONCLUSIONS: Youth and adults use quite different substances in hospital-admitted suicide acts. The differences suggest different prevention emphases. Minimum drinking age laws may have reduced alcohol use in youth suicides.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: Identify the substances most often involved in suicide acts Understand the implications for prevention, including the differing prevention approaches for youth vs. adults
Keywords: Suicide, Substance Abuse
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.