Attempted suicide in older depressed patients: effect of cognitive functioning.
The authors explored cognitive functioning and suicidal behavior in older depressed patients. Inpatients age 50 years or older (N=103) with major depression, 45 of whom had attempted suicide, were evaluated within 1 week of their hospital admission. Measures of suicidal behavior included suicide attempter status, the Suicide Intent Scale (SIS), ratings of method used (violent/nonviolent), and seriousness of injuries sustained (lethality). The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score measured cognitive impairment; covariates were age, gender, and living arrangement. The MMSE score was not associated with suicide attempter status, but for attempters, MMSE score showed a positive association with SIS score, but not method or lethality. Findings suggest that although cognitive disturbance may be associated with less-deliberate acts among older depressed suicide attempters, it does not appear to influence the potential lethality of their behavior.
Upadhyaya
A K
AK
Department of Psychiatry and Biostatistics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Conwell
Y
Y
Duberstein
P R
PR
Denning
D
D
Cox
C
C
D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*