Problematic Substance Use in Depressed Youth: Associations with Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt History

Suicide attempts and ideation along with depression are rising amongst young people, with suicide the third leading cause of death in adolescents. Because of this urgent mental health crisis, it is important to understand the factors associated with suicide risk and depression. Substance use is one factor that has been previously linked to increased suicide risk. Here, we studied the relationship between suicidality, depression, and substance use. In a sample of youth with depression, those with problematic substance use tended to have increased suicidal ideation or history of attempts, be older, and have more problems with school functioning compared to those without problematic use. However, problematic substance use did not impact the relationship between severity of depression and suicidality. These findings show an increased suicide risk in youth with problematic substance use, highlighting the need to identify and intervene in youth substance use.