Suicidal Behavior in Elderly

Abstract

The size of the elderly population is expected to increase dramatically in the next decades worldwide, also in Turkey. In accordance with these demographic changes, psychiatric disorders in late life, including suicide becomes much important. Elderly suicide is a very serious public health problem. Suicide rates in both males and females generally increase with age. However, the pattern is different in every nation. Suicidal behaviour in old age exists as a spectrum ranging from death wishes to completed suicide. Risk factors for suicide in old age are male sex, lower socioeconomic status, social isolation, having personality traits like hopelessness and dependency on others etc., the presence of psychiatric and physical disorders and previous suicidal behaviour. The most common cause for elderly suicide, as for all suicides, is untreated depression. Thus, elderly depression needs to be recognized and treated. The treatment of depressive disorder and other psychiatric diorders in late life, counselling in crisis situations and prevention of social isolation in elderly people are the major points for the prevention of suicide in old age. In this review article is to investigate the relationship between elderly and suicidal behavior. [Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry 2014; 6(3.000): 294-309]

Keywords

• Elderly
• suicide
• risk factors