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I'd be interested to read any research on how drugs impact suicide rates (particularly if it prevents people who would have otherwise committed suicide). As eas

I'd be interested to read any research on how drugs impact suicide rates (particularly if it prevents people who would have otherwise committed suicide). As easy it is to get guns, I think drugs actually a bit easier to obtain despite being the thing that's illegal (due to gun purchase wait period).

DanBC 7y ago
This is a good question for several reasons. We know that alcohol and drug misuse is a risk factor for death by suicide, and that providing drug and alcohol services is a useful suicide prevention measure. See page 17 of this UK document: https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=40697 https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=40697 (which also links to their evidence) We know restricting access to means and methods is an important suicide prevention measure. We know this from some natural experiments. When the UK moved from coal gas to natural gas in the home one very common method was removed and we saw a reduction in suicide rates. We again saw a reduction when we introduced catalytic convertors in cars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPEVhrWZS0&t=415s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPEVhrWZS0&t=415s It touches on how we define a death by suicide? What is counted? What is not counted? In the US a death by suicide should be defined as: (page 21) https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-violence-a.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-vio... > Suicide -- Death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior. The US data is complex and confusing because: (page 12) https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-violence-a.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-vio... > Despite the large volume of data on certain types of SDV, the utility and reproducibility of the resulting information is sometimes questionable. Mortality data are problematic for several reasons: geographical differences in the definition of suicide and how equivocal cases are classified; jurisdictional differences in the requirements for the office of coroner or medical examiner affecting the standard of proof required to classify a death as a suicide; and differences in terms of the extent to which potential suicides are investigated to accurately determine cause of death.18 The quality of the data on nonfatal suicidal behavior is even more problematic than that of suicides. The concerns about discrepancies in nomenclature19-23 and accurate reporting11,24 apply here even more than with suicides. Also, except for rare exceptions there is neither systematic nor mandatory reporting of nonfatal suicidal behavior in the United States at the state or local level, nor is there routine systematic collection of non-suicidal intentional self harm data. So it's really hard to compare one state with another state.
jacobush 7y ago
I was thinking more about the fact that in many households, a gun is laying around. You only need to buy it once, then it can stay, even loaded, in a cupboard or something for years and years. It's a normal not very special thing which at any time can be transformed into a suicide tool.
Fnoord 7y ago
> how drugs impact suicide rates Define drugs. Does it include alcohol? Does the (slow) deterioration of alcohol abuse count? If not, does the one from methamphetamine count? Mind you, you wrote impact. Impact can be positive as well. Does medicine like SSRIs count?
- chrischen 7y ago
  Yes, any drug that can be considered a coping mechanism against suicide.

DanBC 7y ago

This is a good question for several reasons. We know that alcohol and drug misuse is a risk factor for death by suicide, and that providing drug and alcohol services is a useful suicide prevention measure. See page 17 of this UK document: https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=40697 https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=40697 (which also links to their evidence) We know restricting access to means and methods is an important suicide prevention measure. We know this from some natural experiments. When the UK moved from coal gas to natural gas in the home one very common method was removed and we saw a reduction in suicide rates. We again saw a reduction when we introduced catalytic convertors in cars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPEVhrWZS0&t=415s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPEVhrWZS0&t=415s It touches on how we define a death by suicide? What is counted? What is not counted? In the US a death by suicide should be defined as: (page 21) https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-violence-a.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-vio... > Suicide -- Death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior. The US data is complex and confusing because: (page 12) https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-violence-a.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/self-directed-vio... > Despite the large volume of data on certain types of SDV, the utility and reproducibility of the resulting information is sometimes questionable. Mortality data are problematic for several reasons: geographical differences in the definition of suicide and how equivocal cases are classified; jurisdictional differences in the requirements for the office of coroner or medical examiner affecting the standard of proof required to classify a death as a suicide; and differences in terms of the extent to which potential suicides are investigated to accurately determine cause of death.18 The quality of the data on nonfatal suicidal behavior is even more problematic than that of suicides. The concerns about discrepancies in nomenclature19-23 and accurate reporting11,24 apply here even more than with suicides. Also, except for rare exceptions there is neither systematic nor mandatory reporting of nonfatal suicidal behavior in the United States at the state or local level, nor is there routine systematic collection of non-suicidal intentional self harm data. So it's really hard to compare one state with another state.

jacobush 7y ago

I was thinking more about the fact that in many households, a gun is laying around. You only need to buy it once, then it can stay, even loaded, in a cupboard or something for years and years. It's a normal not very special thing which at any time can be transformed into a suicide tool.

Fnoord 7y ago

> how drugs impact suicide rates Define drugs. Does it include alcohol? Does the (slow) deterioration of alcohol abuse count? If not, does the one from methamphetamine count? Mind you, you wrote impact. Impact can be positive as well. Does medicine like SSRIs count?

chrischen 7y ago
Yes, any drug that can be considered a coping mechanism against suicide.