title: Response to commentary on "The modal suicide decedent did not consume alcohol just prior to the time of death: An analysis with implications for understanding suicidal behavior".
abstract: A commentary on our article, "The Modal Suicide Decedent Did Not Consume Alcohol Just Prior to the Time of Death: An Analysis with Implications for Understanding Suicidal Behavior," published in this issue, was reviewed. We agree with the authors of that commentary regarding a coding error that has now been corrected. While we disagree with several of the points raised by the authors, the majority of our disagreements lie in how the results of our original study are being interpreted. We provide a point-by-point response to that commentary and thank the authors for advancing scientific debate on what we view as a very important issue in understanding the role of alcohol as a risk factor for suicide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Anestis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida State University.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Joiner
authors.affiliation: Military Suicide Research Consortium.
authors.forename: Jetta E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Denver VA Medical Center-MIRECC.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*