Little is known about treating elderly suicidal patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this article is to review the literature dealing with this population and to discuss what is required to advance this field. Most available studies from middle-aged and older individuals suggest that risk factors include hopelessness, lower quality of life, past traumatic events, depressive symptoms, lifetime suicidal ideation and past attempts; it is not clear whether these findings are generalizable to geriatric populations. Although little treatment research has been performed in older suicidal patients with schizophrenia, an integrated psychosocial and pharmacologic approach is recommended. In addition, one recent study augmented antipsychotic treatment with an SSRI (i.e., citalopram) in a sample of middle-aged and older individuals with schizophrenia with subsyndromal depression; in that study, serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor augmentation reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. More research is required to better understand suicidal behavior in older patients with schizophrenia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.