Incorporating Multicultural Factors Related To Prevention of Adolescent Suicide within Substance Abuse Treatment Settings

Incorporating Multicultural Factors Related To Prevention of Adolescent Suicide within Substance Abuse Treatment Settings

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among people age 15-24. In addition, adolescents in substance abuse treatment are at an even higher risk of suicidal behavior. Recent literature has also discussed the need to consider cultural differences when working with adolescents in substance abuse treatment who need suicide prevention and intervention because ethnic groups differ in rates of suicidal behaviors and context within which suicidal behavior occurs. Due to these alarming rates, developing a culturally competent suicide prevention program specifically for substance abuse treatment is essential. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to increase knowledge of factors related to ethnicity that can be incorporated into prevention of adolescent suicide within substance abuse treatment settings.