Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “Blood alcohol concentration in Finnish suicide deaths and associated risk factors, 2016–2024,” was recently published online ahead of print in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (1).

Data were collected from suicide deaths in Finland between 2016 and 2024 and verified through official cause-of-death investigations, including forensic autopsy findings, toxicology results, death certificates, and information from national healthcare registries. A condition documented in both the death certificate (autopsy) and healthcare registry was considered a confirmed diagnosis. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC), expressed as a percentage, was categorized as nil (BAC = 0.000), low-to-medium (BAC = 0.010%–0.099%), or high (BAC = 0.100%–0.500%). Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and stepwise logistic regression were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for BAC categories.

The number of suicide deaths in Finland from 2016 to 2024 was n = 6892, including 5183 men (75.2%) and 1709 women (24.8%). BAC data were available for n = 6835 cases. Independent factors associated with low-to-medium or high BAC at the time of death included documented alcohol use, more than one day since the last healthcare visit (ORs: 1.54–2.53), previous suicide attempt(s), and female gender. Reduced odds were associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (OR: 0.17), bipolar disorder, and the age groups 10–19, 70–79 (only for high BAC), and 80 years and older.

The authors suggest that their findings indicate that individuals with documented habitual alcohol use, female gender, previous suicide attempts, and less frequent healthcare contact had higher odds of intoxication at the time of suicide. In contrast, individuals younger than 20 years, older than 70 years, or diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar disorders had lower odds. The authors further emphasize the importance of proactive healthcare engagement and integrated alcohol-use interventions within suicide prevention strategies.

Reference

1. Pokornyi T, Grainger M, Partonen T. Blood alcohol concentration in Finnish suicide deaths and associated risk factors, 2016-2024. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2026 Apr 17. doi: 10.1111/acps.70100. Epub ahead of print.