Preliminary Findings of Noncompliance with Psychotropic Medication and Prevalence of Methamphetamine Intoxication Associated with Suicide Completion

Abstract

Accurate diagnosis of mental illness, and improved compliance with psychotropic medications may play a critical role in suicide prevention. The prevalence of methamphetamine in suicide completers is unexpectedly high and requires further investigation.

Treatment Compliance in Adolescents After Attempted Suicide: A 2-Year Follow-up Study

“…Furthermore, Rotheram-Borus and colleagues18 found that for participants in their psychosocial intervention (140 female adolescent suicide attempters, ages 12–18 years) who had low to moderate symptomatology at baseline, attending at least 7 sessions was protective vis-à-vis suicidal ideation. Finally, Callor et al,19 found through autopsy reports that among youths (ages 21 and under) who completed suicide, 82% did not have the therapeutic level of prescribed psychotropic medication at the time of death.…”

Substance-induced suicidal admissions to an acute psychiatric service: Characteristics and outcomes

“…Among those with cocaine use disorders, 31% reported previous suicide attempts ( Darke & Kaye, 2004), and the prevalence of cocaine use is reported as 20% in completed suicides in New York City (Marzuk et al, 1992). Methamphetamine-dependent individuals are reported to have high rates of depression and suicidal ideation (Kalechstein et al, 2000;Zweben et al, 2004), and in one study of suicide completers done in Utah, the prevalence of methamphetamine found by toxicology screens was 9% in youth and 8% in adults (Callor et al, 2005). Studies have also implicated polysubstance use and intravenous drug use as predictors of a higher prevalence of suicidal behavior as compared to nonintravenous drug or alcohol use disorders (Havens, Sherman, Sapun, & Strathdee, 2006;Wilcox, Conner, & Caine, 2004).…”

The impact of methamphetamine use on subjective well‐being in an Internet survey: preliminary findings

“…A study of 182 methamphetamine users found depressive symptomatology in 67% of the sample, with 40% of subjects meeting the BDI criteria for moderate to severe depression (Semple et al, 2005). Furthermore, Callor et al (2005) examined medical records to determine that besides alcohol, methamphetamine was the substance most often found in the blood or urine of suicide completers. As of yet, no research on apathy has been completed, but a study of cocaine use reveals that recently abstinent cocaine users have high levels of apathy, even after controlling for depressive symptoms (Kalechstein et al, 2002).…”