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Substance Abuse and Suicide

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Suicide Prevention

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Abstract

The complex relationship between suicide and substance abuse has been observed in most nations worldwide. Research has revealed that the majority (90%) of those who do complete suicide have received a diagnosis of mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or both, throughout their treatment. Of the individuals that are suffering from a substance abuse disorder compared to the general population, men are twice as likely to die from suicide, while women are six times as likely. Advancing age, co-occurring affective disorders, and multiple attempts are just a few of the important risk factors to be noted for this specific population. Notably, patients with alcohol use or other substance use disorder should be screened for suicide risk and ideation and be offered appropriate medication management as well as psychological treatment. The emphasis of this chapter will be placed on alcohol, opioid, and cocaine use and their individual and perplexing relationship with suicidality in individuals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Opioid Treatment Program, CWRU School of Medicine, Cleveland Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Youssef Mahfoud M.D., F.A.P.A., F.A.S.A.M.

  2. CWRU School of Medicine, Cleveland Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Michael Ignatowski D.O.

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  1. Youssef Mahfoud M.D., F.A.P.A., F.A.S.A.M.
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  2. Michael Ignatowski D.O.
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Correspondence to Youssef Mahfoud M.D., F.A.P.A., F.A.S.A.M. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Epilepsy Center/ Psychiatry Department, Neurological Institute - Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Tatiana Falcone

  2. Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Sciences School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Jane Timmons-Mitchell

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Mahfoud, Y., Ignatowski, M. (2018). Substance Abuse and Suicide. In: Falcone, T., Timmons-Mitchell, J. (eds) Suicide Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74391-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74391-2_5

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