The substance user at risk of harm to self or others: assessment and treatment issues

This article is divided into two main sections, one discussing suicide and substance use, and the other describing substance use and various forms of violent behavior toward others, including sexual assault and domestic violence. In each section, issues regarding prevalence of harm to self and others in substance users, clinical assessment and treatment, etiologic factors, definitional problems, and research needs are discussed. Substance use appears to be associated strongly with both violence toward self and violence toward others, but the exact nature of these relationships is somewhat unclear.