Substance abuse and suicide risk among adolescents

Maurizio Pompili1,2,3, Gianluca Serafini3, Marco Innamorati3, Massimo Biondi4, Alberto Siracusano5, Massimo Di Giannantonio6, Giancarlo Giupponi7, Mario Amore8, David Lester9, Paolo Girardi3, Anne Maria Möller-Leimkühler10
1McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, USA
2Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs—Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
3Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Functions, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
4Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
5Department of Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
6Neuroscience and Imaging Department, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy
7Department of Psychiatry, Bolzano, Italy
8Department of Neurosciences Division of Psychiatry, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
9The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, USA
10Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany

Tóm tắt

The aim of this paper was to review the literature concerning the relationship between suicide and substance abuse behaviours among adolescents, focusing on epidemiology, comorbidity and preventive programmes. We performed a Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, PsycLit and PsycInfo search to identify all papers and book chapters during the period between 1980 and 2011. Adolescents with substance abuse disorder who attempt or complete suicide can be characterized as having mood disorders, stressful life events, interpersonal problems, poor social support, lonely lives and feelings of hopelessness. The research supports the existence of a strong relationship between suicide and substance abuse. Preventive programmes should be based on the detection of risk factors associated with both suicide and substance abuse disorder. Management programmes should combine different therapeutic strategies such as peer-to-peer education, school-based programmes, psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment. Evidence suggests that targeted suicide prevention programmes can be delivered which reduce the burden associated with substance abuse and suicide in youths.

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Tài liệu tham khảo

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