The topic of suicide is a very contentious issue. It is the deliberate termination of a person’s life. Most people in the medical field consider suicide one of the biggest health epidemics in the world. It is one of the leading death causes in the US especially among the youth. Suicide drugs statistics show that suicide is the tenth leading death cause in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death among Americans aged 10-14 year and the second leading cause of death for those aged 15-34.

According to statistics, addiction, suicide, and depression have an extremely interconnected and close relationship. More than 90% of suicidal people suffer from depression; have a drug abuse disorder or both. Drug abuse and depression combine to form a cycle that mostly leads to suicide. Most people, who experience severe depression, mostly turn to alcohol, drugs, gambling and other risky habits to forget their pain. The fact is, addiction and drug abuse actually increase the duration and severity of depressive episodes despite the short term relieve they might provide. Drug abuse actually increases the likelihood of committing suicide. What is worse is most substances affects judgement, which leads to suicide attempts.

What are the causes of suicide?

Each suicide case is mostly different, and so are the causes. In many cases, you cannot say there is a single suicide cause, but more of a huge number of factors. Below are some of the most common suicide risk factors:

• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts
• Depression
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• A history of suicide in the family
• Sexual abuse and a history of violence
• Availability of guns at home
• Violent behaviors

Of all these factors that influence suicide, only depression has a more closely relation to suicide than drug abuse. Studies show that 66% of individuals who attempt suicide were dealing with depression at the time. People who abuse drugs are six times more likely to commit suicide at some point in life. Men who suffer from substance abuse disorders are more than twice likely to be suicidal while women are seven times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

More statistics

• 40 out of 100 patients seeking treatment for substance/alcohol abuse disorder report at least one suicide attempt at one point in their live
• 30-40% of people who attempt suicide have shown signs of alcohol abuse
• According to studies done in drug abuse rehabilitation, centers and programs mostly reported that 50-75% of patients had a type of co-occurring mental condition. Additionally, studies in mental health settings show that 20-50% of the patients have had a co-occurring drug use disorder.
• Although 95% of people with mental disorders or/and substance abuse disorder will not experience suicidal thoughts, 90% of people who have suicidal thoughts have either a drug abuse disorder or mental illness.
• 40-60% of individuals who die from suicide are mostly intoxicated at the time they are dying

Opioids and suicide

When it comes to addictions, none has a higher probability of leading to suicide than an addiction to opioid. For instances, more than 33000 Americans died in 2015 after overdosing on opioids. Because of the overdose nature, doctors cannot know how many were suicide deaths and how many were accidental were. According to reports, men with opioid abuse disorder are twice as likely to be victims of suicide while women are eight times more likely to be suicide victims. Opioid use is associated with 40-60% increased possibility of suicidal though and 75% possibility of a suicide attempt.  

A recent study suggests that injection drug users and opioid users are 13 times more likely to die by suicide.

Some of the warning signs of suicide

Each suicidal person is dramatically different and so are the warning signs. There are those who show classic signs for an extended period before committing suicide and there are those who do not show any public signs. Below are some of the common signs:

• Showing a desire to end their life
• Always talking about suicide
• Showing a feeling of being trapped
• Anxiousness and agitation
• Indulging in risky and reckless behaviors
• Isolation from relatives and friends
• Avoiding social gatherings and situations
• Avoiding engaging in hobbies
• Lack of sleep
• Indulging in heavy drinking and alcohol abuse
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Irritation
• Sudden decrease in academic or work performance

What are some of the common methods of suicide?

Sleeping pills – according to studies, sleeping pills overdose is one of the common methods that people use to end their lives. This is especially more common among women. However, it is worth noting that sleeping pills nowadays are not as lethal as they used to be. Pharmaceuticals claim that the pills nowadays have milder effects hence safer.

Jumping off a building

People go on top of a building and jump.

Throwing yourself in front of a moving train

The problem with this method is it is not always effective. You might trip while trying to jump which can be very dangerous.

Shooting yourself in the head

– most people have killed themselves using this method. Death by this method might seem immediate. However, it is not always the case. Statistics show that most people who attempt suicide by shooting themselves always end up in hospital. Note that this can be very dangerous. You might end up in a wheel chair or with a damaged brain.

These are just some of the methods of suicide. There are others such as cutting wrists, overdosing, drowning, and electrocution.

Final thoughts

As you have seen, these suicide drugs statistics are truly shocking and the problem is the methods people are using are not effective. Most people end up with failed suicide attempts. Suicide is a global problem that we need to address.