Advertisement
Correspondence| Volume 37, ISSUE 9, P1798-1799, September 01, 2019

Suicidal ideation in the elderly: Psychosocial risk factors and precipitants

  • Author Footnotes
    1 15 Michigan St NE, 736-B, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Lindsey Ouellette
    Footnotes
    1 15 Michigan St NE, 736-B, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Allison Cook
    Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Keegan Michel
    Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Leah Harvey
    Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Chad Sutliffe
    Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Allied Health Sciences Department, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Todd Chassee
    Footnotes
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    Affiliations
    Spectrum Health - Michigan State University Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Jeffrey Jones
    Correspondence
    Corresponding author at: 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States.
    Affiliations
    Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, United States

    Spectrum Health - Michigan State University Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    1 15 Michigan St NE, 736-B, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
    2 15 Michigan St NE Suite 701, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States of America.
Published:March 05, 2019DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2019.01.058
Suicidal ideation in the elderly: Psychosocial risk factors and precipitants
Previous ArticleCurrent use and training needs of point-of-care ultrasound in emergency departments: A national survey of VA hospitals
Next ArticleIf we build it they will come patient use of health portals
      Suicide is a major health problem, ranking as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and accounting for approximately 47,173 deaths in 2017 [

      American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide statistics, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/ [[accessed 4 December 2018]].

      ]. In Michigan, the rate of death by suicide is approximately 13.27 per 100,000 population, which is comparable to the national rate as of 2016 [

      American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide statistics state fact sheets: Michigan, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/state-fact-sheets/#Michigan [[accessed 4 December 2018]].

      ]. Older adults are disproportionately impacted by suicide. Nationally, older adults make up approximately 12.5% of the population, however they account for 15.9% of suicides [

      Illinois Department of Public Health. Injury prevention: suicide and older adults, http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/chronic/Suicide-Older_Adults.pdf [accessed 18 December 2018].

      ]. In Michigan, data from 2007 to 2009 demonstrated that the suicide rate was highest among males aged 65 years and older, and that the overall rate was four times higher for males than females [

      Michigan Department of Community Health. Suicide in Michigan: a hidden health issue, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/suicide_fact_sheet_region_8_final_390537_7.pdf, [accessed 18 December 2018].

      ]. Many suicide attempts, however, go unreported or untreated. Suicide and self-harm in the elderly generally receive less attention in the medical literature than suicide in young adults. Few investigations have been performed to determine prevalence rates, method of suicide or attempted suicide, and the problems faced by emergency clinicians and paramedics when treating these patients. It has been previously noted that factors such as psychiatric illness, social connectedness between the elderly and their family, friends and community, physical illness, and functional capacity may all have an impact on an individual's risk for suicide or attempts [
      • Carter M.W.
      • Reymann M.R.
      ED use by older adults attempting suicide.
      Am J Emerg Med. 2014; 32: 535-540
      ]. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of older adult patient visits to emergency department (ED) for self-harm and suicidal ideation with specific attention to psychosocial risk factors and precipitants.

      Keywords

      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D; use, select 'Corporate R&D; Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Register: Create an account
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

      1. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide statistics, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/ [[accessed 4 December 2018]].

        View in Article

      2. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide statistics state fact sheets: Michigan, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/state-fact-sheets/#Michigan [[accessed 4 December 2018]].

        View in Article

      3. Illinois Department of Public Health. Injury prevention: suicide and older adults, http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/chronic/Suicide-Older_Adults.pdf [accessed 18 December 2018].

        View in Article

      4. Michigan Department of Community Health. Suicide in Michigan: a hidden health issue, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/suicide_fact_sheet_region_8_final_390537_7.pdf, [accessed 18 December 2018].

        View in Article
        • Carter M.W.
        • Reymann M.R.
        ED use by older adults attempting suicide.
        Am J Emerg Med. 2014; 32: 535-540
        View in Article
        • Conwell Y.
        • Van Orden K.
        • Caine E.D.
        Suicide in older adults.
        Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2011; 34: 451-468
        View in Article

      Article Info

      Publication History

      Published online: March 05, 2019
      Accepted: January 16, 2019
      Received: January 16, 2019

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2019.01.058

      Copyright

      © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

      ScienceDirect

      Access this article on ScienceDirect
      We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. To update your cookie settings, please visit the for this site.
      Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. except certain content provided by third parties. The content on this site is intended for healthcare professionals.


      RELX