The Impact of Impulsivity on Suicide and Homicide Rates

Impulsivity, defined here as an unconscious willingness to act with either incorrect or incomplete information, varies substantially across individuals and is known in the neurological literature to impact behavior. We use the average number of binge drinking episodes as a proxy for impulsivity and find that it has a positive influence on suicides and homicides by firearm, but no impact on suicides and homicides by other means. Specifically, a one standard deviation rise in binge drinking behavior increases firearm homicides by between 2.25 and 6.5 and firearm suicides by between 7 and 12.6 in a state with an average population. Assuming that suicides and homicides by other means are more time-consuming compared to firearms, we identify impulsivity as a risk factor for these behaviors particularly for those with access to firearms.