MEMORANDUM

TO: PROFESSOR RANDI BOSSIE

FROM: ALEXIS N. MENA

SUBJECT: TOPIC SELECTION MEMORANDUM

DATE: 7/7/19

CC:

A stigma is a “mark of shame or discredit” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Alcoholism and

suicide both carry a deep scar of it. I would like to discover if there is a correlation
between the two stigmas and conduct research on its connection, causes, and impacts.
According to Pompili et al. (2010), both alcohol and suicide individually have risen
exponentially worldwide in recent decades. Pompili et al. indicated evidence between the
correlation of significant alcohol consumption and suicidal ideations. For this topic, I
believe I will be able to provide unbiased research that will analyze scientific
documentation and data, as well as firsthand experience witnessing the struggles of
alcoholism followed by suicide that will be able to provide an appeal to ethos. I plan to
study and educate myself on the matter beyond what I have personally experience so that
way I may not only have a better understanding for myself, but also shed knowledge of
the topic onto others as well.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. If alcoholism and suicidal ideations are more susceptible to a category, who is it

most likely to effect?
2. What is the correlation between alcoholism and suicide, if there are any? If there
is no correlation, why?
3. When did the correlation between alcohol abuse and suicide become a global
problem?
4. Where in the world is the correlation between alcoholism and suicide the biggest
threat? Why?
5. How did the correlation become proposed and how to address it?
 References

FEINGOLD, J. (2017). Report sees surge in U.S. drug, alcohol, suicide deaths: In new

hampshire, death rate is among highest in nation. New Hampshire Business

Review, 39(26), 24-25.

Orui, M., Kawakami, N., Iwata, N., Takeshima, T., & Fukao, A. (2011). Lifetime

prevalence of mental disorders and its relationship to suicidal ideation in a japanese

rural community with high suicide and alcohol consumption rates. Environmental

Health & Preventive Medicine, 16(6), 384-389.

Pompili, M., Serafini, G., Innamorati, M., Dominici, G., Ferracuti, S., Kotzalidis, G. D., .

. . Lester, D. (2010). Suicidal behavior and alcohol abuse. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health, (4), 1392. doi:10.3390/ijerph7041392

Razvodovsky, Y. E. (2009). Beverage-specific alcohol sale and suicide in russia. Crisis:

The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 30(4), 186-191.

doi:10.1027/0227-5910.30.4.186

Roche, S. P., Rogers, M. L., & Pridemore, W. A. (2018). A cross-national study of the

population-level association between alcohol consumption and suicide rates. Drug

and Alcohol Dependence, 188, 16-23. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.02.036

Stigma. (n.d.). In Merriam Webster’s collegiate dictionary. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigma