Several reviews have discussed the relationship between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and suicidal thoughts and behavior, but none has given a pooled effect estimate [9–11]. An old meta-analysis was conducted by Smith et al [12] based on studies published before 1999. They measured blood alcohol concentration among unintentional injury deaths as well as homicide and suicide cases and concluded that blood alcohol concentration was high among the victims. However, no pooled estimate of the association between suicide and AUD was reported. Another meta-analysis conducted by Fazel et al in 2008 [13] to estimate the alcohol-related risk of completed suicide in prisoners. The results of this meta-analysis was limited to a specific population which may not be generalized to the general population. Furthermore, the association between AUD and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt was not investigated either.
