Patients with Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits Involving Suicide Attempts Who Left against Medical Advice

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality has released a report on patients with drug-related emergency department (ED) visits involving suicide attempts who left against medical advice. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network, ED visits involving drug-related suicide attempts increased 41 percent from 2004 to 2011. Combined data from that time period indicate that among the ED visits involving drug-related suicide attempts, less than 1 percent ended with the patient leaving the ED against medical advice.