Feature Article
What We Don’t Know About Alcohol and Suicide
A connection between alcohol and suicide does exist. This has been substantiated by research. But the nature of that connection is unknown. Why? What is impeding researchers from better understanding the connection between alcohol and suicide?
First, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) screening is not routinely conducted in medical treatment settings – unless the presence of alcohol would alter the course of treatment for an individual.
Second, researchers must backtrack to examine the autopsy report in suicides to see if alcohol was in the bloodstream. Currently this information is not documented on a death certificate. (Note that once the NVDRS, or National Violent Death Reporting System, is put in place in all 50 states, this information and much else related to circumstances surrounding all violent deaths, including suicides, will be readily accessible.)
In its 2001-2005 Strategic Plan, the NIAAA is facilitating development of research to clarify the relationship between alcohol and violence – including suicide. In doing so NIAAA looks to assist in development of interventions to reduce or prevent alcohol-related violence.
Also, while much has been documented about suicide risk factors, particularly with mental illness and alcohol and substance abuse disorders, there has been little rigorous evaluation of the effect of evidence-based or empirically validated interventions on suicidality or suicide risk, according to NIH.
“There is a small but growing area of intervention research that tests targeted treatments of suicidal behavior per se, but much more research is needed to determine efficacy of those approaches along with treatments for the common conditions that accompany suicidality,” notes the NIH. Among these common accompanying conditions is alcoholism.
| “It has been documented that alcohol consumption is a correlate and possible cause of a significant proportion of violent and aggressive events, including homicides, suicides, physical and sexual assaults, and child abuse, including incest,” states the 2001-2005 NIAAA Strategic Plan. “…In the U.S., alcohol is associated with violence to a far greater extent than all other drugs combined. … Alcohol consumption has also been found to combine with suicidal conduct, especially among young males, perhaps through its effects on judgment, mood, and impulsive behavior. The extent to which alcohol causes violence versus simply being associated with violence remains unresolved. Studies in both animals and humans link alcohol more than any other drug with a high incidence of violent and aggressive behavior. Alcohol-related violence is the result of interaction between individual and environmental factors that either promote or inhibit violence. Findings from numerous studies implicate personality, expectancy, situational, and sociocultural factors that may interact with alcohol’s pharmacological effects. What is not clear is whether and under what circumstances these interactions may combine to lead to violent episodes.” |
