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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Psychosocial and medical aspects of older suicide completers in Israel
— a 10-year survey | | Author(s) | Assaf Shelef, Jehuda Hiss, Gali Cherkashin |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 29, no 8, August 2014 |
| Publisher | Wiley Blackwell, August 2014 |
| Pages | pp 846-851 |
| Source | www.orangejournal.org |
| Keywords | Suicide ; At risk ; Jewish ; Immigrants [elderly] ; Israel. |
| Annotation | The rate of completed suicide among older adults continues to be the highest of any age group worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sociodemographic data, mental and physical health characteristics and suicide methods of the older population who completed suicide in Israel. A national retrospective record-based case series study of consecutive older (50 years or older) suicide completers who had undergone autopsy over a 10-year period was conducted. 314 consecutive records of suicide completers, 69.6% males and mean age 64.7 were analysed. The largest group (38%) emigrated from the Former Soviet Union and 19% emigrated from Eastern Europe. Immigrants from Eastern Europe committed suicide at an older age. Hanging was the predominant suicide method. Jumping from height increased more than threefold in the `old-old'(older than 75 years) group. Hanging and firearms were more frequently used by males. Females were more likely to employ poisoning and suffocation. A significant minority (30%) had been diagnosed as suffering from psychiatric morbidity. Most common diagnoses were depression and alcohol abuse or dependence. Physical disorders (mainly cardiovascular disease and malignancy) were present in 27% of cases. Subjects with psychiatric illness were more likely to complete suicide at a younger age compared with subjects with physical illness. Overall the study showed that findings of male predominance, psychiatric morbidity and physical illness were consistent with previously published studies. Immigrants from Eastern Europe completed suicide at an older age and the older victims had used more lethal methods of suicide. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-150529259 A |
| Classmark | EV: CA3: TKS: F:TJ: 7H6 |
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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