Elizabeth D. Stroscio and Leo Sher
Department of Psychiatry, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, New York, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Comorbidity of Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009, 198 pages.

Alcohol use has been identified as an important risk factor for suicidal behavior, and it is important to understand why alcohol use is so often related to suicidal behavior. Increased attention has been given to the mounting evidence that parental unavailability is associated with alcohol use and suicidality, which calls for theoretical models that shed light on how these factors may be related. The goal of this chapter is to show how attachment theory is a perspective from which to understand alcohol use and suicidal behavior in adolescents, as well as adults. The discussion will include: research that demonstrates how alcohol use and suicidal behavior can be understood in the context of attachment theory, neurobiological underpinnings of insecure attachment and deficits in the ability to cope with stress, future areas for research, as well as how attachment theory informs clinical work with individuals who use alcohol and who are at risk for suicidal behavior.