Juliette Salles1,2,3, Bernard Tiret2, Adeline Gallini1,4, Peggy Gandia1,5, Christophe Arbus1,2, Anjali Mathur2, Emmanuelle Bougon2. 1. Université de Toulouse III, Toulouse, France. 2. Service de Psychiatrie et Psychologie, Psychiatrie Toulouse, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France. 3. INSERM U1043, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. 4. Département d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Institut Fédératif de Biologie, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France. 5. Service de Pharmacocinétique et Toxicologie, Institut Fédératif de Biologie, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Very few studies have specifically addressed the role of the acute use of alcohol (AUA) in suicide attempts. OBJECTIVE: Our study compared the suicide intent scores of self-poisoning patients with and without AUA in order to examine the role of alcohol in attempted suicides. METHODS: We recruited 516 patients admitted to the emergency department for self-poisoning. We screened blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) to determine whether these were positive or negative in the two groups. We collected data about covariates such as psychiatric disorders and sociodemographic and suicide characteristics. We then compared suicide intent between the groups, adjusted according to the covariates. RESULTS: The patients with AUA had lower scores for suicide intent, but this factor only reduced the self-reporting score, with the scores for objective circumstances and risk similar between the groups. There was a correlation between BACs and self-reported suicide intentionality, but this was not significant. CONCLUSION: Acute use of alcohol patients presented with lower suicide intent, as particularly explained by the self-report scores, but there were no differences between the groups in terms of risk and/or the objective circumstances. The role of alcohol in the self-reporting of suicide attempts must be addressed in future studies.
BACKGROUND: Very few studies have specifically addressed the role of the acute use of alcohol (AUA) in suicide attempts. OBJECTIVE: Our study compared the suicide intent scores of self-poisoningpatients with and without AUA in order to examine the role of alcohol in attempted suicides. METHODS: We recruited 516 patients admitted to the emergency department for self-poisoning. We screened blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) to determine whether these were positive or negative in the two groups. We collected data about covariates such as psychiatric disorders and sociodemographic and suicide characteristics. We then compared suicide intent between the groups, adjusted according to the covariates. RESULTS: The patients with AUA had lower scores for suicide intent, but this factor only reduced the self-reporting score, with the scores for objective circumstances and risk similar between the groups. There was a correlation between BACs and self-reported suicide intentionality, but this was not significant. CONCLUSION: Acute use of alcoholpatients presented with lower suicide intent, as particularly explained by the self-report scores, but there were no differences between the groups in terms of risk and/or the objective circumstances. The role of alcohol in the self-reporting of suicide attempts must be addressed in future studies.