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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Suicide after hospitalization in the elderly
— a population based study of suicides in Northern Finland between 1988 - 2003 | | Author(s) | Kaisa Karvonen, Pirkko Räsänen, Helinä Hakko |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 23, no 2, February 2008 |
| Pages | pp 135-141 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com |
| Keywords | Suicide ; Discharge [hospitals] ; Psychiatric units ; Death rate [statistics] ; Finland. |
| Annotation | Older people commit suicide more often than people under the age of 65. An elevated risk is also attached to depression and other axis 1 psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the preferred suicide method, effect of primary psychiatric diagnosis, and length of time between discharge from psychiatric hospital and suicide. The lack of information is most apparent in the oldest old (age 75+). On the basis of forensic examinations, data on suicide were separately examined for the 50-64, 65-74 and 75+ age groups with regard to suicide method, history of psychiatric hospitalisation and primary diagnoses gathered from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. The study population consisted of all 564 suicides committed between 1998 and 2003 in the province of Oulu, northern Finland. Of the oldest old, females had more frequent hospitalisations than males in connection with psychiatric disorders (51% vs 23%), of which depression was the most common (39% vs 14%). In this age group, 42% committed suicide within 3 months after being discharged from hospital and 83% used a violent method. Both older males and females were less often under the influence of alcohol, but used more often violent methods than middle-aged people. Suicide rates within the first 3 months following discharge from hospital in the 65-74 and the 75+ groups were substantial and should influence post-discharge treatment strategies. To reduce the risk of suicides in older patients discharged from hospital, close post-discharge supervision combined with proper psychoactive medication and psychotherapy are possible interventions. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080305201 A |
| Classmark | EV: LD:QKJ: LDL: S5: 76L |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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