Alcohol intoxication and suicidality].

Although there is a rich literature showing that addictive disorders are important risk factors for suicide, corresponding studies on suicidal behavior are rare. This study was aimed to evaluate the impact of alcohol intoxication on suicidal behavior. Prospective study. All patients admitted to a psychiatric department providing the psychiatric services for a district of Berlin (250,000 inhabitants) within 15 month. Within this period 184 persons were admitted after showing suicidal behaviour (n = 227 admissions). 54.3 % of them were alcohol intoxicated (BAC > 1 g/l). Apart from substance use disorders the most common diagnoses were adjustment disorders (41.0 %), followed by depressive disorders (27.3 %). 28.2 % committed a suicide attempt. All kinds of suicidal behaviour were accompanied by alcohol intoxication, particularly threatening of committing suicide. Persons admitted without alcohol ingestion frequently suffered from depression or schizophrenia. This study shows that persons showing the suicidal behaviour were frequently alcohol intoxicated. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Citation

Tilman Wetterling, Barbara Schneider. Alcohol intoxication and suicidality]. Psychiatrische Praxis. 2013 Jul;40(5):259-63

PMID: 23508776

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