Substance use, Suicidality, and Adolescent-Onset Schizophrenia: an Israeli 10-Year Retrospective Study

This study investigated the link between the use of specific types of substances & suicidality in adolescent inpatients with schizophrenia & schizoaffective disorder. A 10-year naturalistic retrospective study of 178 adolescents inpatients was performed. The suicide attempters reported considerably greater usage of inhalants & lysergic acid diethylamide. Alcohol & methylene-dioxy-methylamphethamine were also used significantly more by this group. Patients who had attempted suicide also had more previous psychiatric admissions, a greater level of deliberate self-harm behaviour, & a higher level of suicide ideation, but a decreased severity of psychotic symptoms. (59 refs.)