title: Community-based prevention for suicide in elderly by depression screening and follow-up.
abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcome of a community-based prevention program against suicides among the elderly aged 65 and over in the Japanese rural town of Joboji (population 7,010), using a quasi-experimental design with two neighboring control areas. During the 10-year implementation of the program based on strategies including screening for depression, follow up with mental health care or psychiatric treatment and health education on depression, the relative risks estimated by the age-adjusted odds ratios for both males and females were reduced to almost one quarter more than a regional historical trend, with a better response to education for females than for males. A community-based management for later-life depression with mental health care supported by the psychiatric treatment can be effective against suicide among the elderly for both males and females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Welfare, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. hoyama@ss.ritsumei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koida
authors.forename: Tomoe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakashita
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kudo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003153:Community Health Services; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention