Posts Tagged ‘Suicide Rate’

Alcohol Abuse leads to increased suicide rates – Myth or fact?

Posted on Aug 09, 2010

Does Alcohol Abuse lead to increased suicide rates? Is it one of the major causes of suicide? The United States governmental agency that keeps track of mental health issues say that it is a fact and not a myth.

Alcohol Abuse Increases Suicide Rate Just Like In DWI

Most people do not understand the connection between alcohol abuse and suicide rates. With other issues that are connected to alcohol abuse like drunk driving, people can clearly see the connection because alcohol abusers who drive usually have a few DWI offenses on their record. People just don’t experience the connection frequently. However those in the mental health and alcohol abuse fields see the link all the time. They have had experiences that can demonstrate the between alcohol abuse and suicide rates. So this is why most people do not understand the problem like they automatically connect DWI and alcohol abuse.

Data released a governmental organization provides information about studies that have been done in the past ten years illustrates the point and calls on mental health organizations to combat both issues: alcohol abuse and suicide.

The Effects of Suicide

The study begins by focusing on the study of suicides in America. In the United States more than 30,000 people commit suicide annually. That means that every 16 minutes in the United States someone dies of suicide related causes. It also causes billions of dollars in economic loses to the country.

Mental Health Professionals are Aware of a Link between Suicide and Alcohol Abuse

Then the study talks about the issues involved in alcohol abuse that mental health professionals are aware of and those that may be unknown which affect the rates of suicide and increase this phenomenon. Since the countries chief medical officer brought attention to the problem of suicide in the late 1990s more information has been circulated to doctors and mental health professionals.

Due to cultural issues and misconceptions, it has only been recently that medical health professional have begun to focus on the problem of alcohol abuse and suicide with the issue being prevention and not post suicide attempt mental health care.

Alcohol Abuse the Second Highest Risk Factor in Suicides

The study also says that alcohol abuse is the number two risk factor for suicides in the United States. The study ends by calling for a coordinated effort between, mental health professionals and alcohol abuse counselors to help police prevent suicide attempts.

Societal Approach to Suicide Prevention

What needs to be done is to approach the entire society with a full range of issues and factors and then add alcohol abuse to other known suicide risk issues like mental illness, brain chemical factors, and environmental issues. This approach will target prevention just like other programs have focused on the prevention of drunk driving, DWI, and binge drinking in men and women. There is a needed in this country for a complete approach to reducing suicides. Society should not just rely simply on mental health professionals, but also on alcohol abuse professionals.