Crisis (1996), 17, pp. 175-181. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910.17.4.175. © 1996 Hogrefe Publishing.
Opioid Addiction and Suicidality
Abstract
The
prevalence of suicide attempts among opioid addicts is reported to lie
between 8% and 17%, with some studies reporting an even higher rate
among special groups of addicts. Yet there is insufficient knowledge
about which addicts have a higher risk of suicide and which other
factors seem to be involved in the constellation leading to the suicide
attempt; the study of different subgroups of addicts is thus necessary.
This paper reports a study on suicide attempts among a sample population
in a detoxification unit and another group undergoing codeine
maintenance treatment. There was a high rate of suicide attempts among
both groups (23% of those in the detoxification unit and 28% of those
maintained on codeine), but treating physicians tended to underestimate
suicidality. The results lead to the conclusion that among a subgroup of
addicts suicidality plays a larger role; a greater emphasis should thus
be placed on the underlying psychopathology and the treatment needed.
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