| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
| Physicians are less willing to treat suicidal ideation in older patients | | Author(s) | Heather Uncapher, Patricia A Areán |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 48, no 2, February 2000 |
| Pages | pp 188-192 |
| Keywords | Suicide ; Over 70s ; Adults ; Doctors ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Older adults have the highest rate of suicide of any age group, and reducing the number of late-life suicides has become a national priority. The aim of this study was to determine if an age bias existed among primary care physicians when they contemplated treating suicidal patients. A total of 342 physicians were posted one of two case vignettes of a suicidal, depressed patient. The only differences between the two vignettes were the age of the patient (38 or 78 years old) and the employment status (employed versus retired). Results revealed that the physicians recognised depression and suicidal risk in both the adult and the geriatric vignette, but they reported less willingness to treat the older suicidal patient compared with the younger patient. The physicians were more likely to feel that suicidal ideation on the part of the older patient was rational and normal. They were less willing to use therapeutic strategies to help the older patient, and they were not optimistic that psychiatrists or psychologists could help the suicidal patient. (AKM). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000502407 A |
| Classmark | EV: BBK: SD: QT2: TOB: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|