Suicidality, depression, and substance abuse in adolescence

The authors assessed the occurrence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, major depression, and substance abuse in a sample of 424 apparently healthy college students 16-19 years old. Major depression and substance abuse were independent and interactive risk factors for suicidal ideation and for suicide attempts; substance abuse had a particularly deleterious effect on men. A prolonged desire to be dead was a more specific risk factor for a suicide attempt than was a thought of suicide. The authors conclude that suicidal ideation in the presence of major depression and/or substance abuse in older adolescents should call forth greater concern for lethality.