Relación entre sobredosis y suicidio en las muertes asociadas al consumo de drogas

Abstract

Accurately establishing the etiology of overdose continues to be a pending issue whose consequences imply outstanding clinical relevance and a severe repercussion for public health. Both suicide and overdose are two of the leading causes of premature death among young population, while overdoses mostly of indeterminate cause remain to be the leading cause of death among heroin addicts. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between overdose and suicide among deaths due to adverse drug reactions through an up to date review on the available literature. The heterogeneity of the studies, their frequently retrospective nature and the scarcity of data from samples where addicts misuse substances other than opiates are the main limitations of current knowledge. Nonetheless, a clear bi-directional relationship between drug use and suicidal intent has been established since substance abuse significantly increases the risk of developing depressive disorders which can lead to suicide whilst suicidal intent increases the prevalence of drug consumption and lethal overdoses. Most authors consider suicide as an underrecognized cause of overdose. Some risk factors have been outlined for overdose mortality related to suicidal intent; poor psycho-social functionality, presence of depressive symptoms, personal history of suicide attempts and drug overdoses, long history of drug abuse, heroin abuse, parenteral drug use and poly consumption as well as a high demand for medical resources and insufficient knowledge on overdose prevention. These findings are relevant in establishing more effective overdose prevention programs and providing adequate assistance to addicts.