Suicidality in a clinical and community sample of adults with mental retardation.
This paper will argue that suicidal ideation and suicidal gestures are evident in adults with mental retardation, including individuals not receiving mental health services currently, and that psychosocial correlates of suicidality are similar to those noted in the general population. Findings are based on structured interviews with 98 adults with mental retardation, with corroborative information from caregivers and clinical charts. One in three individuals reported that they think "life is not worth living" sometimes or a lot. Eleven percent of individuals reported previous suicide attempt(s). Twenty-three percent of informants were unaware of the current suicidal ideation that their family member/client was reporting. Individuals reporting suicidal ideation endorsed more loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression, along with less social support than other individuals, consistent with reports of suicidal individuals in the general population. Adults with mental retardation who report thinking that life is not worth living should be a target group for future suicide prevention efforts. More research is needed to better understand the risk factors and protective factors for suicidality in this population.
Lunsky
Y
Y
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ont., Canada M6J 1H4. yona_lunsky@camh.net
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013406:Suicide, Attempted