Attempted Suicide in the Older Adults: A Case Series From the Psychiatry Ward of the University Hospital Maggiore Della Carità, Novara, Italy

Abstract

Introduction: As suicide rates increase with age, it is mandatory to carefully assess old age suicidal behaviors. Our aim was to describe the main socio-demographic and clinical features of a sample of suicide attempters aged 65 years and older, and to assess differences within the sample (men vs. women; patients with vs. without a previous history of suicide attempt; patients with vs. without a previous psychiatric history).Methods: Retrospective study conducted at the Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy.Results: A higher percentage of female patients in our sample were treated by or referred to mental health services, while a greater percentage of male patients required a prolonged clinical observation in the Emergency Room (ER) or in non-psychiatric wards before psychiatric admission. The percentage of patients without previous psychiatric history taking anxiolytic and sedative medications was 25%.Conclusion: It is likely that different clusters and types of suicide attempters exist. Women in our sample appeared more proactive in asking for help, and more likely to be already treated by or referred to a psychiatric service, suggesting the need to facilitate the access to psychiatric services for the male population aged 65 years and older, or to offer support and care for the non-psychiatric reasons (comorbidities, pain, and loss of autonomy) possibly underlying suicidal behavior in this specific group. The use of medications deserves more attention considering the possible critical diagnostic issues in this age group.

Changes in mortality of Polish residents in the early and late old age due to main causes of death from 2000 to 2019

“…A factor that increases this risk is the moment when people decide to retire. The inability to fulfill oneself at work, as well as deterioration of the financial condition often associated with retirement, increase the risk of depression, from which the risk of death increases with the severity of symptoms ( 69 , 70 ). Studies also show that seniors do not report their suicidal intentions and are more likely to make attempts in conditions where intervention is not possible, which is especially true for men ( 71 ).…”

Female Homicide in Italy in 2021: Different Criminological and Psychopathological Perspectives on the Phenomenon

“…Notably, elderly perpetrators attempted suicide more frequently than other age groups, and this result is, in some ways, unexpected [ 46 , 51 ]. Women and the young usually have more suicide attempts while suicide attempts among the elderly are usually characterized by lower impulsivity and higher lethal intent [ 46 , 51 ]; that is why suicide rates in males increase with age [ 48 ]. The data of this study could suggest that the elderly in our population were more vulnerable and affected by a mental distress than the other age groups.…”

Suicide risk factors among older adults: Implications for counselors as Medicare providers

“…Strengths of the study include personal data collection using trained data collectors, as well as the use of a large sample of older adults who receive home and community-based services through the aging services network. In this sample, a smaller number of participants experienced suicide desire compared to studies that utilize a clinical sample of older adults enrolled in some form of mental health or psychiatric treatment, or with a stated history of suicide risk (e.g., Gramaglia et al, 2022). This resulted in the expected non-normal distribution of suicide desire data for the analysis, which we corrected using a nonparametric test for correlation, and testing normality assumptions for the multiple regression analysis.…”