Call Us to Find Treatment
866.323.5611


Bookmark and Share

Substance Abuse Increases Suicide Risk

By Leslie Davis

People with substance abuse disorders are more than three times as likely to consider, plan or attempt suicide as are those who aren't engaging in substance abuse.

About 3.7 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (8.3 million people) had serious thoughts of suicide in 2007, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Among substance abusers, 11 percent had serious thoughts of suicide.

People with substance abuse disorders were four times more likely to have planned a suicide than people without such disorders (3.4 percent vs. 0.8 percent), and nearly seven times more likely to have attempted suicide (2 percent vs. 0.3 percent).

Sobering Statistics

An estimated 32,000 adults kill themselves each year in the United States. Of the 8.3 million people with serious thoughts of suicide, 2.3 million made a suicide plan in the past year and 1.1 million actually attempted suicide.

Suicidal thoughts are most likely to occur among young adults ages 18 to 25, with 6.7 percent considering suicide. Among people ages 50 and older, only 2.3 percent seriously considered suicide.

The study also found that adult females had slightly higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than did adult males.

The survey found that only about 62 percent of adults who attempted suicide in the prior year received medical attention for the suicide attempts. About 46 percent of people who attempted suicide stayed in a hospital overnight or longer for treatment of their attempts.

“This study offers a far greater understanding of just how pervasive the risk of suicide is in our nation and how many of us are potentially affected by it,” Eric Broderick, SAMHSA’s acting administrator, said in a news release.

SAMHSA’s findings were based on a survey of 46,190 American adults. In previous years, the administration had only asked questions about suicide to those people reporting major depression. In 2008, the questions were added to all questionnaires.

Risk Factors for Suicide

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death each year, and more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide suffer from a substance abuse disorder, depression, other mental health disorder or a combination of the three.

The risk factors for suicide vary by age, gender and ethnic group, but the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists the following as the main risk factors:

  • A substance abuse disorder, depression, other mental disorder or a combination of the three
  • Prior suicide attempt
  • Family history of mental disorder or substance abuse
  • Family history of suicide
  • Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
  • Firearms in the home (the method used in more than half of all suicides)
  • Incarceration
  • Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others, such as family members, peers or media figures

NIMH stresses that most suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress, and not harmless bids for attention. A person who appears suicidal should not be left alone and needs immediate mental health treatment.

"While there are places that people in crisis can turn to for help like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), the magnitude of the public health crisis revealed by this study should motivate us as a nation to do everything possible to reach out and help the millions who are at risk — preferably well before they are in immediate danger," Broderick said.

Seeking Help for Substance Abuse Before It Turns Deadly

If you or someone you love is one of the more than 23 million Americans suffering from a substance abuse disorder, seek treatment before it ends in suicide. A residential treatment facility can help you address your substance abuse issue, as well as any underlying depression, anxiety or other mood disorders, so that suicide does not feel like your only option.

Through the use of cognitive therapy, group therapy and experiential therapies, residential treatment programs can treat underlying disorders as well as your suicide risk. Cognitive therapy alone, NIMH reports, can reduce the rate of repeated suicide attempts by 50 percent during a year of follow up.