Attempted and completed suicide in older subjects: results from the WHO/EURO multicentre study of suicidal behaviour

Abstract

Stockholm (Sweden), Pontoise (France) and Oxford (UK) had the highest suicide attempts rates. In most centres, the majority of elderly who attempted suicide were widow(er)s, often living alone, who used predominantly voluntary drug ingestion. Non-fatal suicidal behaviour decreased with increasing age, whereas suicide rates rose. The ratio between fatal and non-fatal behaviours was 1:2, that for males/females almost 1:1. In the years considered, substantial stability in suicide and attempted suicide rates was observed. As their age increased, suicidal subjects displayed only a limited tendency to repeat self-destructive acts. Moreover, there was little correlation between attempted suicide and suicide rates, which carries different clinical implications for non-fatal suicidal behaviour in the elderly compared with younger subjects in the same WHO/EURO study.

Diagnóstico de enfermagem Risco de Suicídio em idosos: revisão integrativa

“…This proportion ranged from 11% to 52% (2 0,29,31,33,62,69,72,73,81) . About 11 to 27% (19)(20)(21)62,70,73,80) of these elderly repeated the act within less than one year, using more violent methods (80) . Traumatic events in childhood are associated with suicide.…”

“…More than half of the elderly who committed suicide were living alone (1)(2)(3)6,11,13,21,23,37,41,43,(48)(49)55,57,(59)(60)(61)67,79) . Feelings of solitude and lack of connectivity with the society are predictive of suicide (1,12,26,30,37,39,43,57,63,74,83) .…”

Suicídio entre pessoas idosas: revisão da literatura

“…46 The term "suicidal behavior" appears in studies with clinical and epidemiological focus. 18,37 The number of studies on depression, suicide and ageing increases. Primary care and mental health care begin to integrate forms of prevention of suicide associated with depression and other psychiatric illnesses.…”

“…For example, in the case of the geographical dispersion among countries, Japan and some European societies gain relevance: their rates are similar to those of homicides in Brazil. 18,19 In the world as a whole, in absolute fi gures, suicides kill more than homicides and wars taken together. In Brazil, suicide rates are low compared to that of the majority of countries, oscillating between 3.5 to 4.00 per 100,000 inhabitants, and contrasting with homicide rates, which are much higher.…”

“…A set of research studies focusing on the same question leads to the conclusion that, when an elderly individual attempts to commit suicide, his/her gesture must be taken seriously, because it is likely that any attempt will result in the act of ending his/her own life. 34,35 De Leo et al 18 also emphasize that in Eastern Europe, suicide attempts among the elderly decrease with age and, inversely, there is an increase in completed suicides. This growth of completed suicides at the end of life was also shown in the USA, in a research carried out by Nock et al 37 The population over 60 years of age is the one that grows most in Brazil and in the largest part of the world, which justifi es an attentive look at the social and health problems that affect it.…”