Emergency Department Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts among Middle-Aged Adults Aged 45 to 64

This short report uses data on drug-related emergency department (ED) visits from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) to examine the trends and characteristics of ED visits involving drug-related suicide attempts among ED patients aged 45-64 in 2011. The report discusses the patterns for male and female patients, the drugs most frequently involved in the suicide attempt-related ED visits, and the outcome of the visits. Findings from 2011 are compared with 2005 data. The report notes that current suicide prevention public health efforts are directed at primarily young people and the elderly, but that the findings of this analysis--the increase in drug-related suicide attempts among adults ages 45-64--underscore the importance of understanding risk factors and developing appropriate prevention strategies for this age group.

[
  "009:30"
]

[
  "009:062"
]

[
  "SAMHSA"
]