Substance-Abusing Youth at Greater Risk for Suicide

Data from SAMHSA's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse for the year 2000 show that youth who reported alcohol or illicit drug use during the past year were more likely than those who did not use these substances to be at risk for suicide during this time period.

Among youth who used alcohol, 19.6 percent thought about or attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 8.6 percent among youth who did not use alcohol. Among those who used illicit drugs, 25.4 percent thought about or attempted suicide compared with 9.4 percent among those who did not use drugs.

Overall, approximately 3 million youth age 12 to 17 thought about or attempted suicide in 2000. Unfortunately, only 36 percent of these at-risk youth received mental health treatment during this same time period.

"Even one death by suicide is one death too many," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W. "The challenge is to identify, evaluate, and promote community-based suicide prevention programs that work—systems of services in which every door can be the right door to help."

Mr. Curie noted that among SAMHSA initiatives to combat teen suicide is the "Signs of Suicide" project that is educating teens about depression and the signs of depression. "We need to help teens make the link between untreated depression and the risk for suicide, and help them identify serious depression or suicide risk in a friend. We must encourage teens to tell a responsible adult when a friend is at risk for suicide."

The data reveal that the risk of suicide was similar among white, black, Hispanic, and Asian American youth. Regionally, youth from the West (14 percent) were more likely to be at risk for suicide during the past year than those who lived in the Midwest (12 percent) or Northeast (11 percent). The risk of suicide was similar among youth from large metropolitan, small metropolitan, and non-metropolitan counties.

Females (16 percent) were almost twice as likely as males (8 percent) to be at risk for suicide during the past year. The likelihood of suicide risk was also greater among youth age 14 to 17 (13.7 percent) than it was among those age 12 or 13 (9.4 percent).

SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies conducts the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse annually. The 2000 survey obtained information from nearly 72,000 persons age 12 and older, including more than 25,000 youth age 12 to 17.

Information about youth substance use and suicide risk is contained in The NHSDA Report: Substance Use and the Risk of Suicide Among Youth. For a copy of the report, contact SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345. Telephone: 1 (800) 729-6686 (English and Spanish) or 1 (800) 487-4889 (TDD). To view a copy, visit SAMHSA's Web site: oas.samhsa.gov/2k2/suicide/suicide.cfm.

« See Also—Previous Article

See Also—Related Content—Percentages of Youth Age 12 to 17 at Risk for Suicide During the Past Year, by Past-Year Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use: 2000 »

See Also—Related Content—Percentages of Youth Age 12 to 17 at Risk for Suicide During the Past Year, by Geographic Region: 2000 »

See Also—Next Article »

Back to Top