Abstract
Suicide and deliberate self-harm are receiving increased attention and awareness from policy-makers, professionals, researchers and the public (Jenkins and Singh, 2000; Hawton and van Heeringen, 2000). Globally, suicide is thought to be the 15th leading cause of death (World Health Organization, 2000), although this may be an underestimate because it does not take into account ‘unofficial’ suicides (deaths that are suicides but not recorded as such – i.e. open verdicts), and many countries do not yet have vital registration systems (Jenkins, 2002). Deliberate self-harm is not recorded nationally, although there are a number of good studies within and between countries. This contribution discusses the relationship of substance abuse with suicide and deliberate self-harm. Alcohol has long been recognized as a major contributor to suicide and, as the abuse of other substances has risen, there is now increasing evidence of their contribution to suicidal behaviour and suicide (Murphy, 2000).
Published Version
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