Suicide attempts in an Italian population with substance use disorders: Results of a follow-up study

Suicide is a leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Among the known risk factors, substance use disorders are particularly relevant, but there are still few data on the epidemiology of suicide attempts in this group during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used electronic health records of the National Health Services to identify individuals who received a diagnosis of substance use disorder in the metropolitan area of Bologna from 2009 to 2019. Within this cohort, we identified those who accessed emergency departments for suicide attempt from 2009 to 2020. The crude suicide rate for 1000 person years was 2.54, higher than in the general population. The risk was higher within 1 year from the first visit in patients with any psychiatric diagnosis, mainly depression, neurotic and somatoform syndromes and personality and behavioural disorders. The risk was higher, but not significantly, in the year 2020 compared to the previous year.