With suicide being the third leading cause of death among young people, early identification of risk is critical, particularly for those involved with the juvenile courts. In this study of court-involved youth (N = 433) in two Midwest counties, logistic regression analysis identified some expected and unexpected findings of important demographic,…

In order to examine risk factors for attempting suicide in heroin dependent patients, a group of 527 abstinent opiate dependent patients had a psychiatric interview and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Patients who had or had never attempted suicide were compared on putative suicide risk factors. It was found that 207 of the 527…

The relationship between substance abuse and suicide is indicated by high rate of attempted suicide among alcoholics and drug abusers, as well as increased likelihood of repeated attempts in these populations. This study reports on psychological characteristics of male drug suicide attempters who are in treatment for their addiction problem.…

Analyzed importance of previous suicidal behavior for treatment of alcoholics. Of 72 patients, 21 had previously seriously threatened or attempted suicide. Compared to other alcoholics, those with previous suicidal behavior had similar attrition rate, were not more troublesome in treatment, and had same rate of favorable outcome during third year…

Explored relationship of homosexuality to suicidal behavior by questionnaire responses from 52 men in gay and lesbian college organizations and 56 men in homosexual rap groups. Family background of alcoholism and physical abuse, social supports perceived as rejecting homosexuality, and no religious affiliation were associated with history of…

Presents case summary involving survivors of suicide of 17-year-old child. Includes two therapists' comments on working with issues and dynamics described. One therapist suggests seeking entry into the family system through the father's difficulties. Another therapist recommends using the "Gandhi technique" or the intervention used by…

Reviews knowledge about suicide in alcoholism: how commonly suicide among alcoholics occurs; which alcoholics commit suicide and why; suicide among alcoholic women and alcoholic physicians; possible predisposing biological factors; possible linkages with depression, adverse life events, and personality disorder; and future research and directions.…

A current focus in evaluating suicide risk is the "clinical model" approach, which determines those factors associated with high risk for suicide. The sociological factors identified as estimators of suicide risk included impaired health, job instability, multiple unit residence, no change in living setting, and modest financial resources. (JAC)

Chronic callers (N=67) are reviewed; 51 percent were diagnosed as drug or alcohol dependent. Four were known to have committed suicide and 37 had made suicide attempts; 47 percent of the group was eventually referred to an ongoing treatment resource. Agency strategies for dealing with the chronic caller are discussed. (Author)

In this study we investigated the putative role of cognitive dysfunction, diagnosis (schizoaffective versus schizophrenia disorder), and alcoholism as risk factors for suicidal behavior among individuals with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. Subjects received cognitive tests and medical records were reviewed for evidence of a…

Compares assessment results of inpatients with alcoholism who have made a serious suicide attempt and a matched sample of inpatients with alcoholism who have no history of suicide attempts. Discriminant function analysis reveals that depression, social hopelessness, and socially prescribed perfectionism are unique discriminators of suicide groups.…

A national sample of women (N=627) with histories of sexual assault in both childhood and adulthood reported significantly greater odds of lifetime suicide attempts. As predicted, younger age, stressful events, depression, and alcohol dependency were all associated with suicide ideation. Discusses role of sexual trauma and other psychological…

Presents a case-control study of the association between nearly lethal suicide attempts and facets of alcohol consumption; namely, drinking frequency, drinking quantity, binge drinking, alcoholism, drinking within 3 hours of suicide attempt, and age began drinking. In bivariate analyses, all measures were associated with nearly lethal suicide…

Home health care patients often have several late-life risk factors for suicide and constitute a high risk group for suicidal behaviors. In this study, we examined the characteristics of 14 older adult home health care utilizers who died by suicide and four community controls who used similar services. Both groups of home health care utilizers had…