Substance use: a comparison of adolescent and young adult suicide and accidental death

Abstract

In 1995, in the United States, 72% of all deaths between school-age youth and young adults resulted from four causes: motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicides, and suicides. This study examined the adolescent and young adult suicide and accidental death rates for a 5-year period, 1990–1995, in two counties in Florida in relation to substance use/abuse prior to the death. Gender differences, methods of suicide and/or accident, pertinent risk factors, and toxicology results were reviewed. The results of this study validate the growing body of literature reporting an alarming increase in the role of substance use/abuse in adolescent and young adult accidental and suicidal deaths.In the United States in 1995, 72% of all deaths between school-age youth and young adults resulted from four causes: motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide (Kann et al., 1996). The increase in the suicide rate among adolescents and young adults over the past three decades is w...