Suicidal ideation and attempts in patients who seek treatment for substance use disorder

Patients with substance dependence have a great risk of suicidal ideation and attempts. The study of the specific risk characteristics of patients with substance use disorders who present with suicidal ideation and/or attempts becomes a crucial clinical issue in order to develop prevention strategie...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: López-Goñi, José Javier, Fernández-Montalvo, Javier, Arteaga Olleta, Alfonso, Haro Escribano, Begoña
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad Pública de Navarra
Repositorio:Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
OAI Identifier:oai:academica-e.unavarra.es:2454/30591
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2454/30591
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Substance use disorder
Suicidal behaviours
Assessment
Prevalence
Comorbidity
Descripción
Sumario:Patients with substance dependence have a great risk of suicidal ideation and attempts. The study of the specific risk characteristics of patients with substance use disorders who present with suicidal ideation and/or attempts becomes a crucial clinical issue in order to develop prevention strategies. The main goals of this study were to determine the prevalence rate of both suicidal ideation and attempts among patients receiving treatment for substance use disorder and to analyse the differential characteristics between these patients with and without suicidal behaviours. A sample of 334 patients (263 men-71 women) who sought treatment for substance use disorder in a Spanish clinical centre was assessed. In total, 43.7% of the patients presented with lifetime suicidal ideation (8.7% in the last month) and 17.7% with suicide attempts (1.5% in the last month). Patients with suicidal ideation or attempts showed a more severe addiction profile (assessed by the EuropASI), and more psychopathological symptoms (assessed by the SCL-90-R). Moreover the rate of suicidal ideation and attempts was significantly higher in inpatients than in outpatients. According to these results, systematic screening of suicidal risk in patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders is recommended, especially in those with a greater addiction severity.