Alcohol Use and Suicide: Research Findings and Potential for Prevention

In this course, Dr. Kairi Kolves, Ph.D. (Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, and School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University), discusses the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in suicide, both within Australia and internationally. A model of factors in the alcoholism-suicide relationship is proposed and links between alcohol intoxication and suicide are explored. Dr. Kolves presents a case study of the effects of an anti-alcohol policy in Estonia during perestroika and concludes with a discussion of alcohol policies that studies show are effective in decreasing suicide.