Barbara Schneider
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Suicidal Behavior in Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Dependence. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2010, 540 pages.

Substance use disorders are among the most frequent psychiatric disorders found in suicides. In psychological autopsy studies between 19 % and 63 % of all suicides suffered from substance use disorders, mostly from alcohol use disorders. Suicide risk is highly increased in substance use disorders, particularly in alcohol use disorders, and in co-morbid alcoholism and depression. Alcohol use disorders were identified as risk factors for suicide in controlled psychological autopsy studies and in cohort studies. So far, some risk factors for suicide have been identified in alcoholism. Opioid use disorders and mixed drug use were also associated with highly increased suicide risk. Nevertheless, various questions about the relationship between substance use disorders and suicide remain open, which implicate the directions to future research.