Attempted suicide in people with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders

Abstract

Aims Study the impact of SUD co-morbidity on suicide risk in patients with BD.

Methods

Case-control study during a period of six months from July 2015 to December 2015. One hundred euthymic patients with BD (type I, II or unspecified) were recruited in the department of psychiatry C Razi Hospital, during their follow-up. Two groups were individualized by the presence or not of a SUD co-morbidity.

Results

The average age of patients with SUD was 44.02 years that of the patients without SUD was 44.12 years.

The sex ratio of patients with SUD was 5.25 and that of patients without SUD were 0.61.

Twenty-six percent of patients with SUD comorbidity had a history of suicide attempts. Fourteen percent of patients without SUD had a history of suicide attempts.

The association between SUD and history of suicide attempts was not significant (P = 0.134).

The average suicide attempts were 3.08 for patients with addictive behaviors and 2.00 for patients without SUD.

The association between SUD and the number of suicide attempts was not significant (P = 0.375).

The means of suicide attempts used were drugs in 12% of cases, 3% of cases by phlebotomy, 3% of cases by hanging, 3% of cases immolation, 2% of cases of organophosphate ingestion, 3% of cases by defenestration, 3% of cases by the precipitation front of a vehicle and 1% of cases by drowning.

Conclusions

Co-morbid SUD in individuals with BD is significantly associated with suicide attempts. Individuals with this co-morbidity should be targeted for intensive suicide prevention efforts.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.