Alcohol and suicide

Addiction (1995) 90, 1053-1061

RESEARCH REPORT

Alcohol and suicide—the Portuguese experience
OLE-J0RGEN SKOG,' ZELIA TEIXEIRA/ JOSE BARRIAS' & RUI MOREIRA'
^National Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Dannevigsveien W, 0463 Oslo, Norway & ^Centro Regional de Akoologia do Porto, Hospital de Magalhaes Lemos, Circunvalagao, 4100 Porto, Portugal

Abstract
An analysis of regional (18 regions) and temporal (1931-89) covariation of suicide rates and indicators of alcohol use and abuse in Portugal is reported. In the time series analysis, a positive relationship was found. An increase in per capita alcohol consumption of one litre is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the male suicide rate of 1.9 per cent. This is comparable to what has been reported for France and Denmark, but considerably less than thai found in Nonvay, Sweden and Hungary. In the regional data, there was a substantial negative correlation between the variables. However, after controlling for religious and family integration, the latter correlation became small and insignificant but still negative. A possible explanation is suggested for the different outcomes of the two analyses.

Introduction At the itidividual level, a link between alcohol abuse and suicide has, for some time, been fairly well established, and is not seriously disputed today (Murphy, 1992), However, it has not always been widely recognized that this link also carries over to the aggregate level. For instance, Durkheim (1951(1897]) claimed that alcohol is not a relevant causal factor in relation to the social suicide rate, while recognizing that it was a factor of some importance at the individual level. For many years Durkheim's position was taken for granted, and alcohol was more or less ignored in aggregate level studies of suicide. There are several theoretical reasons for expecting an aggregate level relationship between alcohol and suicide (cf. Skog, 1991). First, acute
Correspondence to: Ole-Jtargen