Teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide when they abuse prescription drugs. Using prescription drugs such as sedatives and opioids for non-medical reasons raises serious mental health problems among adolescents.
A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that teenagers are three times more likely to commit suicide after using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons for a year, Fox News reported. For teenagers who abuse opiates, suicide risk is thrice more likely.
Dr. Lan Guo, the study's lead author from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, said misusing opioids, sedatives, and prescription drugs is associated with "later suicidal ideation," Fox News added. In the study, 1.8 percent of teenagers admitted using opiates or stimulants for non-medical reasons and one percent said they abuse sedatives. Seventeen percent of teenagers surveyed in the research reported having suicidal thoughts and three percent admitted they attempted killing themselves.
Opiates, primarily used to ease pain and suppress extreme coughing fits, are one of the most abused drugs in the United States. The drug is easy to obtain, is readily prescribed, and are highly addictive, according to DrugAbuse.com.
Dr. Bernard Biermann, an adolescent psychiatry researcher at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, said substance abuse can cause depression and distress. Others, however, abuse drugs as a form of self-medication.
This is why parents should always pay attention to their teenage son or daughter and look out for signs of distress and behavior changes (e.g. low grades in school, inability to sleep, and isolation). When these signs appear, parents should take the teen to a physician or mental health expert.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in children aged 10 to 14, and the second for people aged 15 to 24, Teen Rehab Center reported. Also, 90 percent of suicidal teenagers have a substance abuse problem not just with drugs, but also with alcohol. Suicide risks occur in both rich and poor families and in every corner of the U.S.
Teenagers using prescription painkillers or opioids like codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone for non-medical purposes are more likely to develop a substance abuse disorder by the time they turn 35 years old, according to a study published in the journal Pain. This is why parents should discard or monitor leftover medications from past prescriptions. Dr. Yolanda Evans, an adolescent medicine specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital, said old narcotics or medications can be taken back to pharmacies.
