Risks of mortality following nonfatal intentional and unintentional opioid overdoses

Following nonfatal opioid overdose, patients were at high risk of mortality from several causes. Suicide risks were greater for patients with nonfatal intentional overdoses compared with unintentional overdoses, while risks of unintentional overdose death were greater for patients with nonfatal unintentional overdoses than inten- tional overdoses. Shared increased risks for all external- cause mortality across groups support a unified self-injury conceptualization that emphasizes common underlying determinants, while differential mortality risks for suicide and unintentional overdose supports the clinical utility of distinguishing nonfatal overdoses by intent.