ABSTRACT
We determined suicide attempt characteristics in 160 opioid-dependent subjects. Three aspects of suicide vulnerability were also examined: familial aggregation of suicidal behaviors, degree of aggression/impulsivity, and smoking. Forty-eight percent of subjects had a personal history of suicide attempt. A personal history of suicide attempt was associated with an early onset of heroin use, but not with gender differences. A family history of suicide was a progressive risk factor for suicide attempt. Subjects with a personal history of suicide attempt had a higher degree of aggression/impulsivity and smoked more cigarettes. In conclusion, opioid-dependent subjects who attempt suicide show familial aggregation and clinical expressions of suicidal liability similar to those described in other psychiatric groups.
Subject(s)
Heroin Dependence/epidemiology , Heroin Dependence/psychology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/epidemiology , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Suicide, Attempted/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Aggression/psychology , Buprenorphine/therapeutic use , Comorbidity , Cross-Sectional Studies , Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders/epidemiology , Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders/psychology , Drug Overdose/epidemiology , Drug Overdose/psychology , Female , France , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/psychology , Heroin/poisoning , Heroin Dependence/genetics , Heroin Dependence/rehabilitation , Humans , Male , Methadone/therapeutic use , Narcotics/therapeutic use , Personality Inventory/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics , Risk Factors , Sex Factors , Smoking/epidemiology , Smoking/psychology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/genetics , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/psychology , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/rehabilitation , Suicide, Attempted/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The influence of a family history of suicide on suicide attempt rate and characteristics in depression, schizophrenia, and opioid dependence was examined. One hundred sixty inpatients with unipolar depression, 160 inpatients with schizophrenia, and 160 opioid-dependent patients were interviewed. Overall, a family history of suicide was associated with a higher risk for suicide attempt, with high-lethality method, with repeated attempts, and with number of attempts, while the interaction between family history and diagnostic group was not significant. Thus, a positive family history of suicide was a risk factor for several suicide attempt characteristics independent of psychiatric diagnosis.