STUDY TRACKS DRUG-RELATED TEEN SUICIDES

Teenage girls are about three times as likely as boys to attempt
suicide for drug-related reasons, according to an analysis of
emergency-room visits. A government study also found boys are far more
likely to attempt drug-related suicide in the month of December, while
the suicide rate for girls stays fairly steady throughout the year.

The study, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, found an average of 178,423 ER visits a year from 2004
to 2008 for drug-related suicide attempts involving people age 12 or
older. The study looked at the percentage and timing of such attempts
among adolescents ages 12 to 17, adults ages 18 to 49 and adults age
50 and older. The study also tracked the number of visits each month
to see if there was seasonal variation in the data.

Other research has suggested depression, which is a risk factor for
suicide attempts, can worsen in the fall or around major holidays. But
the study found that for the population as a whole, there was little
seasonal variation in drug-related suicide attempts. The number of
visits reported by emergency departments ranged from a low of 12,656
in February, or 7.1% of all drug-related suicide attempts, to a high
of 16,812 visits in September, or 9.4%.

The picture was different for adolescent boys, age 12 to 17. The month
of February had the lowest rate of drug-related suicide attempts, or
2.5% of an average year's total. The high was in December, at 18.9%.
For girls, there was little variation month to month.

But the total number of drug-related suicide attempts by girls was
15,552 a year on average. For boys, that number was 5,283.

Among men age 50 and older, the rate peaked at 12.9% in December, and
was at its lowest of 5.5% in October. Women in that age group
attempted drug-related suicide at a peak rate of 10.9% in October. The
lowest rate for these women was 6% in November.

The study didn't look at the reasons behind suicide attempts and only
included drug-related suicide attempts that resulted in an ER visit.