Understanding the factors contributing to suicide among the geriatric population: A narrative review

A critical health concern for older adults is suicide, particularly for those above the age of 60 years. Despite this, research on suicide in this age group is relatively scarce compared to studies on younger populations. This article is intended to summarize the existing literature on etiological/risk factors, including problems with one’s physical and mental […]

Comparative risk factors for accidental and suicidal death in cancer patients

Background: Cancer patients appear at higher risk of accidental death and suicide. The reasons for this and how suicide and accidental death relate remain unclear. Aims: To clarify and contrast risk factors for such deaths among cancer patients. Methods: A SEER (1973-2007) analysis was conducted on 4,449,957 cancer patients comparing all causes of death (COD) to accidental and […]

A qualitative analysis of suicide notes to understand suicidality in older adults

Objective Suicide is a complex multifactorial process influenced by a variety of biological, psychological, and social stressors. Many older adults face a characteristic set of challenges that predispose them to suicidal ideation, suicide-related behavior, and death by suicide. This study explored the subjective experience of suicidality through the analysis of suicide notes from older adults. […]

Suicide in the elderly: An epidemiologic study

Objective: To analyze the incidence and means of elderly suicide in Brazil. Method: Epidemiologic, cross-sectional, quantitative, and retrospective study. The data were obtained in a platform maintained by the Ministry of Health and analyzed. The mortality rate was calculated and means and percentages regarding the employed means of suicide were obtained. Results: In this period, 8,977 suicides took […]

Evaluation of an educational intervention for clinicians on self-harm in older adults

Clinicians may lack knowledge and confidence regarding self-harm in older adults and hold attitudes that interfere with delivering effective care. A 1-hour educational intervention for hospital-based clinicians and general practitioners (GPs) was developed, delivered, and evaluated. Of 119 multidisciplinary clinicians working in aged care and mental health at two hospitals, 100 completed pre/post-evaluation questions. There […]

The geriatric feelings of burdensomeness scale (GFBS)

Objectives: The present article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Geriatric Feelings of Burdensomeness Scale using two samples of older adults collected through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The scale is a 25-item measure of general subjective feeling of being a burden on or problem for others. The goal of the measure is to capture […]

Assessing the will to live: A scoping review

Context The will to live is an important factor to consider in the context of providing resource-oriented palliative care. Until now, there has been no major review of the existing research on this subject. Objectives The primary objective of this study is to summarize the state of research concerning instruments that assess the will to […]