Alcohol use and suicide

Abstract

Suicide refers to all causes of death triggered by the victims’ own actions, with knowledge of the final result. It is one of the main causes of violent deaths worldwide, and has become a public health issue, due to an increase in suicide among the young, in developed countries and Brazil. The excessive consumption of alcohol, alcohol dependence and other drug abuse are closely linked to attempted or completed suicides. The objective of the present study was to discuss the issue of alcohol consumption by suicide victims in Brazil and worldwide, information that is essential to the development of violent death prevention policies, especially those regarding alcohol consumption. The link between alcohol and suicide has been observed in studies around the world, as well as in Brazil, with positive alcohol samples being found, on average, in a third of the victims. Although there is a considerable prevalence of suicides in Brazil, studies regarding an epidemiological approach to this issue are scarce. Likewise, there is little information on alcohol use in Brazil, as well as studies and epidemiological data that show the association of death by external causes and especially, suicide and alcohol. This prevents potential suicide victims from being included in public policies aiming to reduce the number of suicides as well as the costs stemming from them.