Commentary Open Access
Volume 1 | Issue 3 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.46439/Psychiatry.1.011
The tip of the iceberg: Commentary on mental illness and substance use as distal and proximal variables
Morten Hesse1,*
- 1Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 10, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
Corresponding Author
Morten Hesse, mh.crf@psy.au.dk
Received Date: March 28, 2021
Accepted Date: July 06, 2021
Hesse M. The tip of the iceberg: Commentary on mental illness and substance use as distal and proximal variables. Curr Res Psychiatry. 2021;1(3):31-33.
Copyright: © 2021 Hesse M. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Given the widespread taboo surrounding suicide, risk of suicide may become even more difficult to face for clinicians, when linked with substance use, another stigmatized behavior. In this commentary, we shall argue that even though suicides are to be taken seriously, we must also be aware of the rarity of completed suicide, and be careful not to exaggerate risks associated with substance use. The primary risk of suicide appears to occur when a range of distal and proximal factors converge.
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The tip of the iceberg: Commentary on mental illness and substance use as distal and proximal variables
Given the widespread taboo surrounding suicide, risk of suicide may become even more difficult to face for clinicians, when linked with substance use, another stigmatized behavior. In this commentary, we shall argue that even though suicides are to be taken seriously, we must also be aware of the rarity of completed suicide, and be careful not to exaggerate risks associated with substance use. The primary risk of suicide appears to occur when a range of distal and proximal factors converge.