health 54

The authors summarize the associations between various types of alcohol policies and suicide, both in the U.S. and internationally, as found in English-language literature published between 1999 and 2014. Overall, a number of studies suggest that restrictive alcohol policies have a protective effect on reducing suicide at a general population level. Due to substantial between-states variation in alcohol policies, U.S.-based studies contributed substantially to the literature. The findings highlight the importance of population-based alcohol policies in suicide prevention. Better implementation of effective alcohol policies can reduce alcohol availability at a population level, which in turn, reduces the average risk of suicide, especially in those cases where alcohol is involved. This is consistent with the prevention paradox, which posits that the majority of cases of a health condition arise from members at low or moderate risk of the disease, while members at high risk only co...