Citation

Conner KR, Bagge CL. Alcohol Res. 2019; 40(1): e2.

Affiliation

Kenneth R. Conner, Psy.D., M.P.H., is a professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York. Courtney L. Bagge, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (USA))

DOI

10.35946/arcr.v40.1.02

PMID

31649836

PMCID

PMC6799956

Abstract

Research on associations of suicidal behavior, including suicide and suicide attempt, with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and acute use of alcohol (AUA) are discussed, with an emphasis on data from meta-analyses. Based on psychological autopsy investigations, results indicate that AUD is prevalent among individuals who die by suicide.

RESULTS also indicate that AUD is a potent risk factor for suicidal behavior. Risk estimates are higher for individuals with AUD in treatment settings, when compared to individuals in the community who have AUD. Also, although rates of suicide and prevalence of AUD remain higher in men, they have increased more among women in recent decades. Based on postmortem blood alcohol concentrations, AUA was commonly present among those who died by suicide. AUA is a potent proximal risk factor for suicidal behavior, and the risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed, consistent with a dose-response relationship. Research indicates that AUA increases risk for suicidal behavior by lowering inhibition and promoting suicidal thoughts. There is support for policies that serve to reduce alcohol availability in populations with high rates of AUD and suicide, that promote AUD treatment, and that defer suicide risk assessments in intoxicated patients to allow the blood alcohol concentration to decrease.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol consumption; alcohol use disorder; intoxication; suicide; suicide attempt