Table 1.
Colorado suicide deaths between 2015 and 2017, by PDMP linkage status, and benzodiazepine and opioid exposure status
| Total suicide deaths | Linked to PDMP record | Ever dispensed benzodiazepinea | Recent benzodiazepine exposure b | Recent benzodiazepine and opioid exposure c | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Count | Percent | Count | Percent | Count | Percent | Count | Percent | |
| Total | 3465 | 2070 | 59.7% | 1058 | 30.5% | 699 | 20.2% | 331 | 9.6% |
| Sex | |||||||||
| Female | 792 | 582 | 73.5% | 373 | 47.1% | 265 | 33.5% | 143 | 18.1% |
| Male | 2673 | 1488 | 55.7% | 685 | 25.6% | 434 | 16.2% | 188 | 7.0% |
| Age-Female | |||||||||
| 0–14 yrs | 18 | 7 | 38.9% | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| 15–19 yrs | 64 | 29 | 45.3% | 5 | 7.8% | 6 | 9.4% | * | * |
| 20–24 yrs | 53 | 34 | 64.2% | 16 | 30.2% | 11 | 20.8% | 8 | 15.1% |
| 25–34 yrs | 126 | 92 | 73.0% | 60 | 47.6% | 42 | 33.3% | 21 | 16.7% |
| 35–44 yrs | 122 | 100 | 82.0% | 70 | 57.4% | 43 | 35.2% | 19 | 15.6% |
| 45–54 yrs | 175 | 131 | 74.9% | 88 | 50.3% | 64 | 36.6% | 32 | 18.3% |
| 55–64 yrs | 143 | 117 | 81.8% | 84 | 58.7% | 54 | 37.8% | 35 | 24.5% |
| 65–74 yrs | 59 | 49 | 83.1% | 37 | 62.7% | 31 | 52.5% | 18 | 30.5% |
| 75–84 yrs | 18 | 12 | 66.7% | 5 | 27.8% | * | * | * | * |
| 85+ yrs | 14 | 11 | 78.6% | 8 | 57.1% | 7 | 50.0% | 5 | 35.7% |
| Age-Male | |||||||||
| 0–14 yrs | 35 | 8 | 22.9% | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| 15–19 yrs | 150 | 46 | 30.7% | 9 | 6.0% | 11 | 7.3% | * | * |
| 20–24 yrs | 230 | 81 | 35.2% | 32 | 13.9% | 19 | 8.3% | 8 | 3.5% |
| 25–34 yrs | 538 | 267 | 49.6% | 117 | 21.7% | 76 | 14.1% | 25 | 4.6% |
| 35–44 yrs | 419 | 247 | 58.9% | 125 | 29.8% | 79 | 18.9% | 38 | 9.1% |
| 45–54 yrs | 478 | 287 | 60.0% | 138 | 28.9% | 80 | 16.7% | 28 | 5.9% |
| 55–64 yrs | 428 | 285 | 66.6% | 157 | 36.7% | 101 | 23.6% | 49 | 11.4% |
| 65–74 yrs | 218 | 147 | 67.4% | 63 | 28.9% | 50 | 22.9% | 30 | 13.8% |
| 75–84 yrs | 121 | 81 | 66.9% | 30 | 24.8% | 11 | 9.1% | * | * |
| 85+ yrs | 56 | 39 | 69.6% | 14 | 25.0% | 6 | 10.7% | * | * |
| Suicide Mechanism | |||||||||
| Drugs/Overdose | 425 | 340 | 80.0% | 247 | 58.1% | 204 | 48.0% | 147 | 34.6% |
| Solids or Liquids | 18 | 9 | 50.0% | 5 | 27.8% | * | * | * | * |
| Gases and Vapors | 130 | 70 | 53.8% | 33 | 25.4% | 24 | 18.5% | 9 | 6.9% |
| Hanging/Asphyxiation | 956 | 536 | 56.1% | 236 | 24.7% | 126 | 13.2% | 38 | 4.0% |
| Firearm | 1743 | 998 | 57.3% | 465 | 26.7% | 294 | 16.9% | 118 | 6.8% |
| Jumping | 59 | 38 | 64.4% | 22 | 37.3% | 13 | 22.0% | 7 | 11.9% |
| Sharp Object | 45 | 22 | 48.9% | 16 | 35.6% | 10 | 22.2% | * | * |
| Other/Unspecified | 89 | 57 | 64.0% | 34 | 38.2% | 24 | 27.0% | 8 | 9.0% |
| Other Circumstances | |||||||||
| No Known Mental Health Problem | 1489 | 723 | 48.6% | 271 | 18.2% | 170 | 11.4% | 94 | 6.3% |
| Known Mental Health Problem | 1976 | 1347 | 68.2% | 787 | 39.8% | 529 | 26.8% | 237 | 12.0% |
| No Known Physical Health Problem | 2171 | 1112 | 51.2% | 519 | 23.9% | 333 | 15.3% | 115 | 5.3% |
| Known Physical Health Problem | 1294 | 958 | 74.0% | 539 | 41.7% | 366 | 28.3% | 216 | 16.7% |
| No Known Alcohol or Substance Abuse Problem | 1979 | 1125 | 56.8% | 552 | 27.9% | 370 | 18.7% | 174 | 8.8% |
| Known Alcohol or Substance Abuse Problem | 1486 | 945 | 63.6% | 506 | 34.1% | 329 | 22.1% | 157 | 10.6% |
All percents are based on total suicide deaths in category
* Indicates fewer than three suicide deaths in category
a “Ever dispensed a benzodiazepine” is defined as having received a prescription for a benzodiazepine ever during the timeframe of the analysis (2014–2017)
b” Recent benzodiazepine exposure” is defined as benzodiazepines prescribed within 30 days of death or a positive toxicology for benzodiazepines post-mortem
c” Recent benzodiazepine and opioid exposure” is defined as those with recent benzodiazepine exposure who were also either prescribed an opioid within 30 days of death, or had positive toxicology post-mortem for opioids