INDIANA — A new report highlights an urgent need to bridge the gap between addiction treatment and suicide prevention, as new data reveals a disturbing link between substance use disorders and rising suicide rates, particularly among certain ethnic groups.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), suicide is the leading cause of death for individuals with a substance use disorder. Experts say that while substance use is the second-leading risk factor for suicide, just behind depression, prevention efforts often fail to address these issues together.
Alarming Disparities Across Racial and Ethnic Groups
Data shows significant and growing disparities in suicide rates among minority communities:
- American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest age-adjusted suicide rate at 21.39 deaths per 100,000, which is more than four times the national average for young men in this demographic aged 15–34.
- Suicide rates have risen sharply, with a 26% increase for non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives and a 19.2% increase for Black Americans between 2018 and 2021.
- The risk is also tied to specific substance use behaviors. Injection drug users, for example, have a suicide risk 14 times higher than the general population. Weekly opioid misuse makes a person 200% more likely to attempt suicide.
“We cannot talk about suicide prevention without talking about addiction,” says Tay-Lor A. Smith, MA, LPC, C-DBT at DetoxRehabs.net. “These issues are co-occurring and often co-dependent, and ignoring that overlap means missing critical opportunities to save lives.”
The report notes that people often seek treatment for addiction during periods of peak emotional crisis—such as job loss or legal trouble—when suicide risk is at its highest. However, many treatment facilities do not adequately screen for suicide risk, especially within underserved communities.
Recommendations for Prevention
Experts recommend several steps to address this crisis:
- Mandatory Screening: Make suicide risk screening a mandatory part of the intake process for all addiction care facilities.
- Integrated Care: Expand “dual-diagnosis” programs that treat both substance use disorders and suicidal ideation simultaneously.
- Culturally Sensitive Treatment: Increase access to trauma-informed and culturally relevant treatment, particularly for high-risk ethnic groups.
- Community-Based Programs: Fund prevention programs that are rooted in the communities they serve.
Experts believe that by integrating these prevention efforts, particularly within high-risk ethnic groups, the tide can be turned on this deadly trend.
