Adolescence, problematic alcohol consumption and suicidal behavior: A case report

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines adolescence as the period of human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, between the ages of 10 and 19. In adolescence, the combination of social vulnerability, alcoholism and suicide risk creates a highly complex pathogenic triangle, even more so in contexts of exclusion. Male patient, 16 years old, does not study or work, who has consumed alcohol for one year and who presents a lesion on the lip and dry mouth. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of an adolescent in a situation of vulnerability, who attends the Dentistry Consultation and presents problematic alcohol consumption that leads to a suicidal crisis. The case paradigmatically illustrates the complex interrelationship between the social determinants of health and dual psychopathology in adolescence.