Citation

Duberstein PR, Conwell Y, Seidlitz L, Lyness JM, Cox C, Caine ED. Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 1999; 7(4): 289-296.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642-8409. Paul Duberstein@urmc.rochester.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1097/00019442-199911000-00003

PMID

10521160

Abstract

Age-related patterns of symptom presentation may complicate the recognition of suicide risk. The authors sought to determine whether there is a relationship between age and reported suicidal ideation in depressed suicide attempters (DSAs) and depressed nonattempters (DNs) 50 years of age and over. Regression analyses revealed that increasing age is significantly associated with the absence of suicidal ideation in both DSAs and DNs. Because of their lower rates of depressed mood and suicidal ideation, the depressions of older adults may more readily escape detection. Preventive or treatment measures initiated after the onset of the suicidal state may be insufficient, and other preventive strategies ought to be considered.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; aged; aging; article; depression; female; gerontopsychiatry; Hamilton scale; hospital patient; human; major clinical study; male; mental disease; psychiatric diagnosis; regression analysis; suicide attempt