Finding a Link to Save Lives
Teens at risk of attempting suicide may be identified earlier, thanks to the work of Stacey Freedenthal, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Social Work, and her colleagues. A study performed by Freedenthal and three other researchers found a strong correlation in adolescents between "huffing"—inhaling the vapors of common household chemicals for a high—and suicidal thoughts and behavior.
Working together with DU social work Professor Jeff Jenson and faculty members from two other schools, Freedenthal looked at inhalant use in 723 teens serving time in Missouri juvenile facilities. A third of them said they’d inhaled volatile solvents like paint thinner, glue or floor polish.
A study by Assistant Professor Stacey Freedenthal may help combat teen suicide by making connections between huffing and suicide.
The huffing-suicide link
The researchers found what Freedenthal calls a "remarkable" increase in suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among teens who abused inhalants. In fact, most of the young people surveyed who had been serious abusers had tried to kill themselves at some point.
The survey didn’t try to determine which problem came first, the huffing or the suicidality, Freedenthal says, but it showed that the two are undeniably connected.
Higher risk for girls
The most startling numbers related to girls. Eighty-one percent of the girls who’d abused inhalants had attempted suicide at some point, compared to 60 percent of the boys. The study also shows that, among the teens who huffed, suicidal thoughts were much more common in girls than boys.
"Girls' problems tended to be more severe," Freedenthal says. However, she explains, prior research has shown that "while girls attempt suicide more often than boys do, boys actually die by suicide at higher rates."
A double-warning sign
Knowledge of the link to huffing can be an aide in the battle against suicide, which is the third leading cause of death among American teens. If they can identify young people at a particularly high risk of suicide, care providers may be able to intervene and prevent tragedies.
"I think the main lesson to be learned is that, regardless of whether youth are incarcerated or simply huffing in their bedroom behind a closed door, inhalant use relates to higher risk than normal for suicidal thoughts and behavior," Freedenthal says. "More education is needed for youth to really understand the dangers to their bodies and possibly to their emotional states caused by huffing volatile solvents."
Published on Oct. 29, 2007