Youth Substance Use and Suicide Behavior

Abstract

Suicidal behavior in adolescents has increased by 56% over the last 10 years [1]. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for adolescents in 2016 [2]. The number of hospitalizations for teen suicide attempts nearly doubled from 2008 to 2015 [3]. Understanding the underlying causes of adolescent suicide is necessary for suicide prevention [4]. Because of the complex setting in which suicide behaviors occur, the literature has not definitively identified factors that cause suicide behavior but it has identified a complex combination of precipitating or contributing factors including mental illness, lack of connectedness, stress, and substance use [5]. The current review focuses on four substances identified by SAMHSA’s as core measures [6]: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drugs. These are the substances most commonly reported to be used by youth. We reviewed their relationship with youth suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal planning (SP) and attempts (SA). Open Access Journal of Addiction and Psychology Volume 3-Issue 4 Citation: Carly Green, Rachel Quinn, Rebecca Yaklic, Victor Ronis-Tobin. Youth Substance Use and Suicide Behavior. Open Access J Addict & Psychol. 3(4): 2020. OAJAP.MS.ID.000569. DOI: 10.33552/OAJAP.2020.03.000570. Page 2 of 3 The preponderance of evidence suggests a strong relationship between marijuana use and suicide behavior: Early adolescents using marijuana had 50% greater likelihood of reporting a 1-standard deviation higher depression scores than non-users [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07, 2.10] [26]. Wong SS, et al. [13] found that marijuana users reported higher rates of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.9-5.2, p<0.01). In France, early marijuana use initiation in adolescence was associated with higher rate of SA (OR (adj.) = 2.90; 95% CI 2.20-3.83) [14]. King RA, et al. [18] found a significant association between SI, SA and marijuana use. In another study, use of marijuana significantly predicted suicide risk in female adolescents (OR=2.432, 95% CI = 2.055, 2.878, P <.0001) [27]. Pena JB, et al. [28] found that using marijuana accounted for a significant difference between suicide attempters and non-attempters in White, Black, and Hispanic high school students in the US. Wong SS, et al. [13] found marijuana to be associated with increased risk for suicidal thoughts (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 2.1-2.4). Finally, adolescent daily users of marijuana reported significantly increased SI.