Attitude toward Suicide in the Elderly Suicide Attempter

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Ju Yeon Kim ◽  
Joon Hee Kim ◽  
Jung-Suk Park ◽  
Mi Kyung Lee ◽  
Young Rong Bang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Suicide Attempter ◽  
Elderly Suicide

scholarly journals The relationship between elderly suicide rates, population density and room density

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah ◽  
Tanuja Sinha ◽  
Rajeswari Makena
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Household Size ◽  
National Study ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Extended Households ◽  
Suicidal Plans

A recent cross-national study reported that elderly suicide rates in both sexes were significantly negatively correlated with household size and the percentage of extended households and positively correlated with the percentage of single-person households (Shah, 2009). Speculative explanations for these findings were based on cultural factors, including (i) a mismatch between the traditional dependence of elderly relatives on their children for emotional and financial support and their children's ability to provide this support (Yip et al., 1998, 2000; Liu et al., 2006); (ii) the unmet traditional expectation of the elderly person being able to live with their children or grandchildren (Yip et al., 2000; Liu et al., 2006); (iii) the effect on the elderly of their children's negative attitudes (Yip et al., 2000); (iv) the migration of children to urban areas or to other countries (Yip and Tan, 1998; Yip et al., 2000); and, (v) the number of available caregivers, household size and family size (Kua et al., 2003). Countries with larger household sizes and a greater number of extended households potentially have a greater number of people available within the household and within close geographical proximity who can contribute positively to these cultural issues, and this may ultimately lead to a reduction in elderly suicide rates – the “emotional proximity” explanation. However, there may also be other explanations for these findings (Shah, 2009). Having more people in a household implies that there are more people to identify suicidal ideation and support the suicidal individual in seeking approprate help. Also, in larger households elderly people are likely to be alone for shorter periods of time, which would reduce the opportunity to implement any suicidal plans. Both these possibilities form part of the “geographical proximity” explanation.

Suicide and Aging in Japan: An Examination of Treated Elderly Suicide Attempters

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitomo Takahashi ◽  
Hideto Hirasawa ◽  
Keiko Koyama ◽  
Osamu Asakawa ◽  
Matazo Kido ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Public ◽  
Geriatric Hospital ◽  
Elderly Japanese ◽  
Elderly Suicide

Although individuals aged 65 and over accounted for 12% of the total population of Japan in 1990, suicides in this age group consisted of 29% of all suicides. The elderly population of Japan is expected to grow rapidly to 24% of the total population by the year 2020, and suicide prevention for the elderly is an urgent mental health problem. Among a total of 1,216 elderly patients who were admitted to the Department of Psychiatry at Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital between April 1980 and March 1990, 50 were hospitalized immediately after suicide attempts in order to study their psychosociomedical problems. Because early diagnosis of depression and initiation of proper treatment are indispensable—even if patients do not show obvious depressive symptoms—those who develop persistent somatization and/or delirium should be considered highly suicidal and given special attention. With the cooperation of mental health professionals, it is necessary to educate general practitioners, the public, and the elderly themselves about characteristics of psychiatric disorders and various problems associated with aging. Further research on other elderly Japanese populations, as well as research that examines suicide completion, is needed to confirm the findings of the present study.

The Impact of Trends in Psychotropic Prescribing on the Method of Suicide in the Elderly

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah ◽  
Lubbaba Lodhi
Keyword(s):  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Serotonin Reuptake ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Selective Serotonin ◽  
Hypnotics And Sedatives ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Elderly Suicide

Suicide rates in the elderly have declined in many countries in recent years. This decline has been reported to be associated with increased prescribing of antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotics and antimanic drugs and reduced prescribing of barbiturates, hypnotics and sedatives. This study examined the relationship between prescribing patterns of individual psychotropic drugs and suicide rates by specific methods of elderly suicides. There was a negative correlation between the prescription of tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, antimanic drugs and non-opiate analgesics and a decline in elderly suicide rates due to poisoning by solid and liquid substances, hanging, strangulation and suffocation, drowning, firearms and explosives, and jumping from high places. There was a positive correlation between the prescription of barbiturates, hypnotics and sedatives and elderly suicide rates due to poisoning by solid and liquid substances, hanging, strangulation and suffocation, drowning, firearms and explosives, and jumping from high places. This study demonstrated that changes in prescribing patterns of individual psychotropic drugs do influence elderly suicide rates of the commonly used methods of suicide and suggest that this may be due to more accurate diagnostic-specific prescribing of psychotropic drugs.

Sociodemographic and clinical profile in elderly suicide victims: 34 autopsy case studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s887-s887
Author(s):  
S. Ellouze ◽  
I. Baati ◽  
W. Ben Amar ◽  
D. Trigui ◽  
W. Abbes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Treatment Of Depression ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Elderly Suicide

IntroductionThe elderly suicide is a major public health problem that is gaining more and more ground, given the aging population problem. This has rarely been the subject of forensic studies in Tunisia.ObjectivesTo identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of elderly suicide victims over 60 years and to determine what factors might increase suicide risk in this population.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study on suicide victims aged 60 and over, autopsied in forensic medicine department of the Habib Bourguiba university hospital in Sfax (Tunisia), on a 10-year period (January 2006–December 2015).ResultsWe identified 34 cases with an average age of 66 years. The sex ratio was 2.77. Suicide victims were alone in 38.2% of cases. They were inactive professionally in 32.4% of cases. Almost half of them (44.1%) had a psychiatric history, 40% of depressed pace, 26.7% of bipolar disorder and 13.3% of schizophrenia.Three main factors were identified as precipitating the passage to suicidal act: family conflicts (26.5%), financial difficulties (11.8%) and loss of autonomy (5.9%).Suicide methods were hanging (50%), immolation and drug intoxication (11.8%), hit by train and poisoning (8.8%), jumping from height (5.9%) and drowning (2.9%). In 55.8% of cases, suicide took place at home.ConclusionElderly suicide seems to be a huge but largely preventable public health problem. Its prevention is essentially based on the identification of risk situations and the detection and treatment of depression: major suicide risk factor in this population.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Analysis of Characteristics, Methods of Suicide, and Clinical Outcomes in Elderly Suicide Attempters in South Korea by Age Subgroup

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Substance Exposure ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The Third ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Methods Of Suicide

Introduction: As the elderly comprise 14.3% of the South Korean population, suicide among the elderly has become a significant public concern. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed data from the Emergency Department-Based Injury In-depth Surveillance nationwide of South Korea. Patients aged ≥ 65years old who intentionally caused self-injury were included. These elderly patients were subdivided into age groups, and their associated characteristics and correlation between suicide attempt methods and the clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: A total of 5,333 cases were analyzed. The mean age of the subjects was 75.1 years old, comprising 3,039 males (57.0%) and 2,294 females (43.0%). Substance exposure was the most frequent method across all age groups. In terms of risk factors of admission, drowning, hanging, and asphyxia showed the following results: OR 2.372 for the first group; OR 2.224 for the second group; and OR 5.606 for the third group. Fall/slip was identified as a risk factor of admission in the first and second groups (OR 5.016 for the first group; OR 5.101 for the second group). In terms of risk factors of mortality, drowning, hanging, and asphyxia showed the following results: OR 9.066 for the first group; OR 7.320 for the second group; and OR 7.135 for the third group. With regard to fall/slip, the results were OR 14.596 for the first group; OR 10.096 for the second group; and OR 24.167 for the third group. Conclusions: This study showed that clinical outcomes were different according to the suicide-related characteristics and chosen suicide method. Based on these results, it is necessary to prepare measures to prevent suicide of the elderly in the future.

scholarly journals Suicide in the elderly: an epidemiologic study

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Cristina Lobato dos Santos ◽  
Barbara Bartuciotti Giusti ◽  
Clarissa Ayri Yamamoto ◽  
Suely Itsuko Ciosak ◽  
Regina Szylit
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
General Population ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Epidemiologic Study ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
High Place

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the incidence and means of elderly suicide in Brazil. Method: Epidemiologic, cross-sectional, quantitative, and retrospective study. The data were obtained in a platform maintained by the Ministry of Health and analyzed. The mortality rate was calculated and means and percentages regarding the employed means of suicide were obtained. Results: In this period, 8,977 suicides took place among the population over 60 years. The highest suicide rates were concentrated in the population over 80, which presented a mean 8.4/100,000 for this period, and between 70 and 79 years, with a mean rate of 8.2/100,000. Considering the total elderly population over 60 years, this value reached 7.8/100,000, whereas in the general population this was 5.3/100,000. The values are always higher among the elderly population: the mean rate in the last five years among the elderly is 47.2% higher than the mean for the general population. The main mean of suicide was hanging (68%), followed by firearm (11%), self-intoxication (9%), falling from a high place (5%), and undefined or undetermined means (6%). Conclusion: Epidemiologic analyses bring visibility to the dyad aging and suicide, corroborating the pertinence of this theme.

Influencing Suicide Rates among the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 757-790
Author(s):  
Angela Louise C. Rosario
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Prevention Policies ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Status ◽  
Scaling Down ◽  
Elderly Suicide

Abstract By focusing on the elderly suicide rates, this study lays out the different suicide regulation and prevention policies of three developed countries – Japan, the Netherlands, and South Korea. The main goal is to compare and analyze how these policies, with disparate ways of handling suicide, influence elderly suicide rates in relation with their countries’ respective differing suicide determinants. By applying the ‘Method for Synthesizing about Public Policies’ created by Morestin, Gauvin, Hogue, and Benoit to check the status of efficiency and of any issues of public policies, it concludes that South Korea shows promise, while Japan’s suicide rates have certainly been scaling down. Conversely, in terms of the use of euthanasia, suicide rates in the Netherlands have been continuously rising.

A Study of Elderly Suicides in Hong Kong

Crisis ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Chi ◽  
Paul SF Yip ◽  
Gabriel KK Yu ◽  
Peter Halliday
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Police Records ◽  
Elderly Suicide

Hong Kong has one of the highest rates of suicide among the elderly in the world. Most of the existing suicide prevention programs have had very little effect on the elderly, who rarely utilize these programs. This study aims to help in understanding the problem, so that effective prevention can be provided to this high-risk group of suicidal people. Specifically, the study (1) describes the characteristics of the suicidal elderly, (2) investigates the reason(s) why the elderly are in distress and become suicidal, and (3) formulates a policy and service model to reach the elderly high-risk group.This research project involves secondary data analysis. Police records on elderly suicide cases in 1992 were scrutinized to find out the major reason(s) for fatal death in the elderly. Our study points out those districts that are more crowded and have fewer medical and social facilities tended to have higher suicide rates. Most of the deaths occurred at home or nearby, and the suicidal elderly were alone before their death. The majority of elderly suicide victims suffered from chronic diseases. Very few of them, however, were totally dependent: About 40% of the cases had consulted medical practitioners, and 27% had consulted psychiatrists within one month before their deaths. Close to 70% of the cases had indicated to family members or others their suicidal thoughts, and many of them had revealed numerous suicidal indications. Both policy and practice issues are discussed in light of the findings.

Alaska Native Suicide: Lessons for Elder Suicide

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kettl
Keyword(s):  
Alaska Native ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Oil Boom ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Cultural Upheaval

Suicide rates in Alaska Native elders are studied to further explore cultural factors in elderly suicide. Data for the 1960s and 1970s are reviewed, and new data on Alaska Native suicide rates are presented for the 10-year period of 1985 through 1994. In many areas throughout the world, suicide rates are highest for the elderly. During the Alaska “oil boom,” suicide rates more than tripled for the general population but decreased to zero for Alaska Native elders. Cultural teachings from the society's elders were more important during this time of cultural upheaval. During the study period, the cultural changes dissipated, and suicide rates for Alaska Native elders, although lower than those of White Alaskans, increased. This provides further evidence that suicide rates for elders can by influenced by social factors—both to raise and to lower rates.

Trends in suicide in the elderly in Asturias (Spain)

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 339-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Díaz-Suárez ◽  
B Lopez Garcia ◽  
P Gonzalez-G-Portilla ◽  
M Bousoño Garcia ◽  
R Hinojal Fonseca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Elderly Suicide

SummaryData from elderly suicides was obtained from two previous studies of community suicides in two localities of Northern Spain, namely, Oviedo between 1983 and 1990, and Gijón between 1975 and 1986. Data from the two localities were obtained by the revision of court register cases. A retrospective study on elderly suicide (over 60 years of age) was carried out. Mean annual specific rates for the elderly in Oviedo for 1982–1991 were 37.7 (58.1 for men and 23.3 for women) and for those in Gijón for the period 1975–1986, 23.4 (40 for men and 11.5 for women). A marked increase was seen in the rates for Gijón from the first (1975–1978) to the last period (1983–1986). This was particularly marked in men. The greatest increase in the rate was seen in men over 75 from Gijón and in those between 1970–1974 from Oviedo. In contrast a decrease was seen in the 65–69 age group rates for both men and women. A tendency for the rates to increase was seen but no important increase for elderly suicides was evident.

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