Suicide in widowed persons. A psychological autopsy comparison of recently and remotely bereaved older subjects.
Using the psychological autopsy method, the authors sought to determine whether widowed people who commit suicide more than 4 years after their spouse's death (n = 21) can be clinically distinguished from those who commit suicide after a shorter period of widowhood (n = 14). The latter had a higher rate of psychiatric treatment (P = 0.018), early loss/separation (P = 0.03), and a nonsignificantly higher rate of lifetime substance abuse (P = 0.07). Spousal bereavement increases the likelihood of physician visits, so the recently widowed represent a population for whom interventions may be readily implemented. Clinicians should monitor suicide risk in their recently widowed patients, especially those with psychiatric, substance abuse, and/or early loss/separation histories.
Duberstein
P R
PR
University of Rochester, Department of Psychiatry, NY, USA.
Conwell
Y
Y
Cox
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001601:Bereavement; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology*