Predictors of Suicide in the Old Elderly

Abstract

Background: Seniors aged 75 and above have the highest suicide rates of all age groups in most industrialized countries. However, research concerning risk factors for suicide in the old elderly is sparse. Objective: The purpose was to determine predictors for suicide among the old elderly (75+). Data concerning the young elderly (65–74 years) are shown for comparison. Methods: 85 consecutive cases of suicide that occurred in western Sweden and 153 control persons with the same sex, birth year, and zip code as the suicide cases were randomly selected from the tax register. The old elderly group included 38 cases and 71 controls; the young elderly group included 47 cases and 82 controls. Data concerning the suicide cases were collected through interviews with close informants; controls were interviewed in person. The interview included questions on past-year life events and mental and physical health. Medical records were reviewed for cases and controls. The Cumulative Illness Rating Scale – Geriatrics was used to rate illness burden. Results: Family conflict, serious physical illness, loneliness, and both major and minor depressions were associated with suicide in the 75+ group. Economic problems predicted suicide in the younger but not in the older elderly. Old elderly suicide victims with depression (major or minor) were less likely to have received depression treatment than their younger counterparts. Conclusions: Better recognition and treatment of both major and minor depression should constitute an important target for the prevention of suicide in the old elderly. Intervention studies with large numbers of senior participants are sorely needed.

The Characteristics of Elderly Patients With Suicide Attempts: A Comparative Study With Non-elderly Patients

“…This may be due to the older age of patients in the elderly group using methods other than drug overdose compared to the age of patients in the elderly group using drug overdose. This finding is also supported by the result that financial problems were not a risk factor for suicide attempts among older elderly patients, unlike among younger elderly patients 52) . The presence of common risk factors for suicide attempts by the elderly using different methods of suicide attempts emphasizes the reliability and importance of these risk factors in the prevention of suicide among the elderly.…”

“…Second, suicide attempters aged 65 years or older were assigned to a single elderly group. Different patterns of suicide have been observed in different age groups, following the recent trend of increased life expectancy 52,53) . Therefore, the results of this study may not be valid and further research, focusing on specific age groups, is needed.…”

Daily Oral Ketamine for the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety in Patients Receiving Hospice Care: A 28-Day Open-Label Proof-of-Concept Trial

“…6 Anxiety and depression may also severely impact quality of life 2,7 and are risk factors for suicidal behavior, 8 especially in the elderly. [9][10][11][12] Current standard pharmacologic treatments for depression in this population consist of the usual armamentarium of more than 24 antidepressants with at least 7 different mechanisms of action. 13 Many of these are also indicated for anxiety, as are other medications, all of which have significant associated risks.…”

Antidepressants Reduce the Risk of Suicide among Elderly Depressed Patients

“…Adolescents and the elderly are particularly at risk for suicide (Gaynes et al, 2004;Charney et al, 2003). Seniors aged 75 years and above have the highest suicide rates of all age groups in most industrialized countries (Waern et al, 2003).…”