Abstract
Alcohol use and its disorders are associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviors Research has shown that 6-8% of those who use alcohol have a history of suicide attempt. Given the prohibition of alcohol use legally, the increased alcohol consumption, and the lack of strong evidence in favor of its use associated with suicide in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the link between suicide attempt and alcohol abuse. The case-crossover method was used in this research. Out of 305 referrals to the emergency room due to a suicide attempt, 100 reported drinking alcohol up to six hours before their attempt. Paired Matching and Usual Frequency were employed to analyze the data with STATA 12.0. The probability of attempting suicide up to six hours after drinking alcohol appeared increased by 27 times (95% CI: 8.1-60.4). Separate analysis for each of these hours from the first to the sixth hour after alcohol use was also performed. Fifty percent of attempted suicides happened one hour after alcohol use. Relative risk for the first and second hour was 10% and 5% respectively. Alcohol use is a strong proximal risk factor for attempted suicide among Iranian subjects. Prevention of alcohol use should be considered in setting up of the national Suicide attempt prevention program.
Highlights
1.1 Introduce the ProblemSuicide is an important public health issue (Ghanbari, Malakouti, Nojomi, Alavi, & Khaleghparast, 2015)
Alcohol use and its disorders are associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviors Research has shown that 6-8% of those who use alcohol have a history of suicide attempt
Given the prohibition of alcohol use legally, the increased alcohol consumption, and the lack of strong evidence in favor of its use associated with suicide in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the link between suicide attempt and alcohol abuse
Summary
1.1 Introduce the ProblemSuicide is an important public health issue (Ghanbari, Malakouti, Nojomi, Alavi, & Khaleghparast, 2015). Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the 15 to 44-year-old age group in some countries (Hawton & van Heeringen, 2009). In Iran, suicide is the fifth leading cause of death (Morovatdar, Moradi Lakeh, Malakouti, & Nojomi, 2013), and suicide rates have shown an upward trend over the last three decades (Shojaei, Shamsiani, Moradi, Alaedini, & Khademi, 2012). Based on a report published by the Iranian Ministry of Health, the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) for suicides and self-harming behaviors in the country in 2003 was 206.2 per 100 000 people(Hajebi et al, 2011). Alcohol use and its disorders are associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviors (Cherpitel, Borges, & Wilcox, 2004). Research has shown that 6-8% of those who use alcohol have a history of suicide attempt (Cherpitel et al, 2004). When access to alcohol was restricted in Russia, suicide rates sharply declined (Cherpitel et al, 2004)
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