Suicidal attempts among individuals seeking treatment for substance dependency

Addiction is identified as an important risk factor for suicidal behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of suicidal attempts among individuals seeking treatment for addiction. The sample consisted of 250 individuals (16 women and 234 men) substance users fulfilling DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for substance dependence disorders, who were attending a university clinic for addiction in Iran. The results revealed that 16.8% of subjects reported attempting suicide at least once (17.9% of male addicts, whereas none of 16 women reported suicidal attempts). Crack users, I. V drug abusers, younger and single patients had more suicide attempts. Using knife was the most prevalent type of attempt (52.33%). The findings confirmed other reports of higher rates of suicide attempts among addicts and may suggest a greater emphasis should be placed on the identifying suicide risk factors among addicts and using appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.