Prevalence of suicide in cocaine users accessing health services: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: This study reviewed and analyzed the prevalence of suicidal behaviors among cocaine users who sought health services. Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published until January 2021. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, and LILACS were searched. The inclusion criteria were observational (retrospective or prospective), case-control, and/or cross-sectional reports that contained samples of cocaine users aged over 14 years who were assessed in health facilities or were in treatment. The random-effects model was used to calculate the overall prevalence of suicidal behavior with a 95% confidence interval. Subgroup analysis was conducted to investigate sources of heterogeneity. Results: Twenty articles were included, yielding a total of 2,252 cocaine users. The estimated prevalence was 43.59% (95%CI 31.10-57.38) for suicidal ideation and 27.71% (95%CI 21.63-34.73) for suicide attempts. High heterogeneity was found between studies for both outcomes (I 2 ≥ 93%), although subgroup analysis considering the quality of the studies showed a significant difference in suicide attempts (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Cocaine use can be considered a risk factor for suicidal behavior, and prevention and early screening measures should be implemented to facilitate adequate treatment.

Prevalência de suicídio em usuários de Cocaína

“…Um estudo recente em grande escala com uma amostra representativa de brasileiros descobriu que as taxas de tentativa de suicídio e mortalidade na população geral são de 9,9 e 5,4 por cento, respectivamente. Para os consumidores de crack, essas taxas foram notavelmente maiores em 40,0 % e 20,8 %, respectivamente [15][16][17].…”