[Suicide attempts by self-poisoning among the elderly].
The aim of the study was to present suicidological problems in the elderly. The investigation assessed patients treated for self-intoxication in the Department of Toxicology of Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Medical documentation of the entire population of subjects aged over 65 and hospitalized in the years 1999-2001 was examined from the point of view of demographic and clinical factors. The examined population consisted of 68 subjects including 20 males and 48 females ranging in age from 65 to 90 years (mean age = 72.6). The majority of subjects were retired and, in many cases, lived alone. The majority of female subjects were widows living in Kraków or in small towns or villages around Kraków. A significant number of subjects had been undergoing psychiatric treatment or even repeated hospitalization prior to the suicide attempt. A significant percentage had suffered from severe somatic diseases. For 55 of the subjects (79.7%), it was the first suicide attempt, and for 14 subjects (20.3%)--a repeated one. The drugs most frequently used in the attempts were psychotropic, cardiological and mixed-type drugs. The assessment included the state of consciousness and the degree of intoxication on the subjects' admission to hospital. The mean duration of hospitalization was 13.7 days. The most frequently determined somatic diseases were hypertension (33.3%) and coronary artery decease (30.4%), atherosclerosis (15.9%) and diabetes (10.1%). In the process of a complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedure, the mental state of the patients was assessed. Depressive disorders (reactive) and endogenic depression (affective) were recognized in 51 subjects (73.9%). Organic brain disorders, often with dementive signs, were detected in 44 subjects. Schizophrenia was recognized in only a small percentage of subjects (5.8%). The description of the data indicate a close connection between depression and social factors in the case of the elderly. Therefore, an adequate treatment of depression should be give priority in programs for preventing suicide among the elderly.
Polewka
Andrzej
A
Klinika Psychiatrii Dorosłych Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 31-501 Kraków ul. Kopernika 21 A.
Kroch
Stanisław
S
Chrostek Maj
Jan
J
Pach
Janusz
J
Zieba
Andrzej
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*