RELATION BETWEEN SUICIDAL IDEATION AND SU BSTANCE-ABUSE - RESULTS FROM A STUDENTS SURVEY

This paper analyzes the relation between suicidal ideation and drug us e among high-school students. The data base is part of the National Hi gh-School Survey conducted in collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry and the Ministry of Public Education, in 1992. For this analysis only the data base for Mexico City was used (n = 3,459 stude nts). Suicidal ideation is a frequent and non specific symptom of inte rnal conflict associated with hopelessness, low self esteem, suicide a ttempt, depression and substance abuse. It was evaluated through the a dolescent version of the CESD, developed by Roberts and previously tes ted among Mexican students, with satisfactory results. An important pr oportion of students presented at least one symptom during the previou s year, 17% reported having thought about taking their life away, and 10% scored positive in the four items (I cannot go on living, I though t about death, my family would be better off if I were dead, I have co nsidered killing myself). Suicidal ideation increases along with the s everity of alcohol use, and increments the risk of using other drugs, but does not affect the frequency of use nor the number of drugs used. This symptom is more frequent among students using medical drugs, wit h no difference between users of stimulants and users of depressants, nor between students using marijuana or solvents and users of other dr ugs. Users of hallucinogens have higher rates of this symptom, and coc aine users lower rates when compared to users of other drugs.