Mental disorder and suicide risk in psychoactive substance users

an integrative review

Abstract

Objective: to analyze scientific evidence regarding the presence of mental disorders and risk for suicide in psychoactive substance users. Method: integrative literature review conducted on LILACS, MEDLINE and SCOPUS, using the descriptors: substance-related disorders, suicide and mental disorders. Full articles available in Portuguese, English or Spanish were selected without a time frame. However, duplicates as well as articles that did not answer the guiding question directly were excluded, thus totaling 17 articles for analysis. Results: psychoactive substance users presented reduced quality of life and more severely impaired mental health, which increases the probability of associated psychiatric comorbidities, such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety, especially when multiple substances are used. This association increases the chances of individuals’ committing suicide up to 5.7-fold. Conclusion: there is a direct relation between the three investigated facts, in which psychoactive substance use increases the probability of mental disorders and suicide risk, making it necessary to design efficient health strategies for the early identification of such problems and thus develop interventions to minimize them.