Suicide Ideation among Outpatients with Alcohol Use Disorder.

Wen-Yu Hsu,Chieh-Hsin Lin,Ting-Gang Chang,Nan-Ying Chiu,Hsien-Yuan Lane,Cheng-Chen Chang,Enzo Emanuele

doi:10.1155/2022/4138629

Abstract

Introduction Individuals with substance use disorders, particularly those with alcohol use disorder (AUD), have a high risk of suicide. Therefore, identifying risk factors for suicide in these individuals is crucial. Methods This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of individuals with AUD who participated in an alcohol treatment program in central Taiwan during 2019–2020. We collected data using the Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener questionnaire, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and a suicidal ideation question. Furthermore, we collected information on several related variables, namely, sex, age, marital status, years in school, employment status, family history of alcohol problems, age at first exposure to alcohol, duration of alcohol use, history of alcohol cessation, history of domestic violence, and history of drunk driving. In total, 136 individuals were recruited to participate in this study. Results The suicidal ideation group had significantly younger participants, a higher proportion of women, a higher proportion of participants with a history of domestic violence, a greater severity of alcohol addiction (based on both AUDIT and MAST scores), higher depression scores, higher anxiety scores, less social support, a lower quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)), and poorer sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) compared with the nonsuicidal ideation group. The suicidal ideation score was correlated with the AUDIT score after age, and BDI, BAI, WHOQOL, and PSQI scores were controlled for (P = 0.034). Conclusion Individuals with higher AUDIT scores visiting a clinic for alcohol treatment might have a higher risk of suicidal ideation. Therefore, clinicians should pay close attention to the suicidal ideation problem in this population. Furthermore, appropriate medication or management programs for suicide prevention should be considered.

Highlights

Individuals with substance use disorders, those with alcohol use disorder (AUD), have a high risk of suicide
Participants who were young, were women, had a history of domestic violence, had depression, had anxiety, had poor social support, had poor quality of life, had poor sleep quality, and had severe alcohol addiction constituted a high proportion of the participants with AUD who had suicidal ideation
A previous meta-analysis revealed that AUD was significantly associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide [12]

Summary

Introduction

Individuals with substance use disorders, those with alcohol use disorder (AUD), have a high risk of suicide. According to a review of psychological autopsy studies, 19%–63% of individuals who completed suicide had substance use disorders [9]. Substance-related disorders were suggested to be strongly associated with an increased risk of completed suicide [11]. Identifying the risk of suicide in patients with substance use disorders, in those with AUD, is crucial for clinical physicians. Understanding the prevalence and severity of suicidal ideation in patients with AUD in outpatient settings is crucial for the prevention of suicide Studies on these topics in the Asian population are limited. To fill this research gap, we conducted this retrospective study to investigate the prevalence and severity of suicidal ideation in patients with AUD in an outpatient alcohol treatment program. We investigated the association between suicidal ideation and the severity of AUD

Methods

Results

Conclusion