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Background and Objectives: Young adults might engage in many risk behaviors, including alcohol and drug use, which could lead to mental health problems, such as suicide. The aim of this study was to examine specific psychosocial and clinical factors that could influence the possible relationship between polysubstance use (PSU) and suicide risk in a sample of young Colombian participants.Methods: A sample of 274 young participants (mean age = 21.3 years) was evaluated with two substance use screening tests (ASSIST and AUDIT) and five scales for clinical and psychosocial factors and suicide risk: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety scale, Family APGAR, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Plutchik Suicide Risk scale. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted.Results: Use of cannabis and tobacco was significantly correlated with suicide risk in the total sample (p < .05). Depressive and anxiety symptoms, family functioning, and emotional abuse during childhood were significantly associated with suicide risk (p < .001), while alcohol use, anxiety symptoms, and family functioning were variables significantly related to PSU.Discussion and Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with previous evidence suggesting a relationship between substance use, several psychosocial factors, and suicide risk in young participants.Scientific Significance: Our study is one of the first reports the relationship between substance use and suicide risk in a Latin American population. (Am J Addict 2017;26:388-394). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A community survey in 4,426 adults was undertaken as part of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative reporting the prevalence and risk factors for suicide-related outcomes in Colombia. Lifetime prevalence estimates of suicide ideation, plans, attempts, and risk factors for suicide-related outcomes were assessed. Retrospective reports of disorders age-of-onset were used to study associations between primary mental disorders and first onset of suicide-related outcomes. Risks of plans and attempts were highest with ideation early age-of-onset and within the first year. The highest risk for ideation and attempt among ideators occurred in the 18-29 age group. After first employment (defined as the first paid job accepted by the respondent) and presence of mental disorders constituted risk factors. Impulse-control disorders were strongest diagnostic predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicidal behavior, in its different manifestations, represents an international public health problem, being one of the ten main causes of general mortality and one of the three top main causes of death in adolescence and young adulthood. The statistics of suicidal attempts are also very worrying, even more if it is considered that for each case of suicide attempt attended in a health-care center, it is estimated that there are four non-reported and non-attended cases. Several studies report the importance of considering the role of some risk factors such as a family loss, a family history of suicidal behaviors, severe mental health problems in the family, economic problems, personality disorders, non-stable mood state, aggressiveness, impulsiveness and social alienation. When those problems are combined with alcohol or drug abuse, the suicide risk is higher. The presence of suicidal behaviors in Latin-Americans high school and university students has been reported by different papers in which the suicidal ideation indicators range from 8% to 25% and the suicide attempts vary from 8% to 12%. In these papers the difference between women and men is highlighted, given that the first group has a higher propensity of suicidal attempts and men group is in full risk of committed suicide. There are no statistics that confirm the differences between high school and university students. Some studies have confirmed the importance of stressful life events in the suicide phenomenon during adolescents, especially of interpersonal and emotional stressors. Few studies have inquired about the characteristics of suicidal behaviors in student population in Colombia. For this reason, health promotion and suicide prevention actions have not reached the expected effects. The purpose of this study is to know the prevalence and the characteristics of suicidal behavior in high school and college students in the city of San Juan de Pasto. A descriptive study was developed with 463 students belonging to six high schools and two universities, which ensures equal proportions regarding level (high school or university), gender and type of education (public or private). Their ages range from 9 to 30 years old. The Parasuicide Indicators Schedule (CIP- Cédula de Indicadores Parasuicidas) was applied; it was part of a battery of tests of the «Adaptation and validation of psychological instruments in students of San Juan de Pasto» project, which was approved by the ethical committee of the University of Nariño. The stressful life events questionnaire for adolescents (Cuestionario de Eventos Estresantes Vitales para Adolescentes -EEVA-Udenar) was applied to a randomly selected sub-sample. The prevalence of suicidal behavior was of 30%, 18% of the sample analyzed had suicidal thoughts, 4% had suicidal plans and 8% reported previous suicide attempts. The suicidal behavior was more frequent in women than in men and it is unsettling that the proportion of suicide attempts between women and men is 3:1. Suicide behaviors were more frequent in students whose ages ranged from 17 to 20 years old..… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]