The American Psychiatric Association conducted this study with the assistance of the American Academy of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry to examine the top ten common substances of abuse. These types of substances include alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, marijuana, steroids, and tobacco. This study shows how high school students that are contemplating and attempting suicide is related to drug and alcohol usage. There have been previous studies that have demonstrated how illicit drugs have been associated with suicide, but they do not show explicitly what type of drug has the highest percentage of causing suicide.
For this study, 73,183 students were surveyed between 2001 and 2009. The survey was broken up into four different sections. In the first section, the survey asked if they have planned or attempted suicide and how many times. Then if it resulted in an injury, overdose or poisoning that had to be treated by a doctor. The students would answer with either yes or no and gave a number over how many times. The next section asked about the top ten substances that have used such as cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. The students would answer with either a yes or a no and how many times that they would use the substance. In the next section of the survey, it asks about …show more content…
Substance abuse can increase the severity and intensity of depression. Substance abuse can also increase the risk of family and relationship problems which is known to be one of the triggering events for wanting to commit suicide. There is also evidence that shows that suicidal adolescents and adolescents with substance abuse problems have inadequate coping strategies such as considering drugs and alcohol to help them handle their problems and to stop feeling