Suicide Attempts in a Cohort of Drug Abusers: a 5-Year Follow-Up Study

A group of 125 drug abusers in Lund, Sweden admitted consecutively for detoxification & short-term rehabilitation were followed up 5 years after discharge. They were asked about possible suicide attempts in a semi-structured interview. Nearly half of the group reported having attempted suicide at some point in their life. At follow-up the suicide attempters reported they experienced more depressive moods & more severe psychological problems than those who had never made a suicide attempt.