One in five suicides are attributable to alcohol use. This symposium addresses current gaps in research and practise concerning alcohol and its relationship to suicidal behaviour. Sarah Ledden will present the results of a cross-sectional analysis testing associations between specific domains of harmful alcohol use, as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and suicide thoughts and acts in the English general population. John Robins will present findings from a latent class analysis of 650 suicidal detainees at a Health-Based Place of Safety showing disparate risk associated with different profiles of drinking: binge drinkers had a lower risk of death or repeated crisis presentation relative to low risk drinkers (but alcohol dependent patients had a higher risk. Jacqui Morrissey of Samaritans will discuss findings from the Suicide Prevention Consortium’s surveys of views of people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts or acts where alcohol is involved in their suicidality and/or who have alcohol dependence. This includes individuals’ own views about the relationship between their alcohol use and suicidal acts and their experiences of asking for help and accessing services. The Consortium's recommendations for policy-makers and service providers will be considered.
Chair: Dr Nicola Kalk, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London
Alcohol use and its association with suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, and non-suicidal self-harm in a nationally representative English sample - Miss Sarah Ledden, University College London
One size fits all? The different forms of alcohol use in suicidal crisis and their associations with repeated crisis care and death - Mr John Robins, King's College London
Exploring the views of people with personal experience of alcohol, self-harm and suicide - Mr Alex Rossiter, Samaritans