Where is help sought for depression or suicidal ideation in an elderly population living in a rural area of Japan?
Although suicide is increasingly becoming a social problem in Japan, especially among the elderly, little early intervention or suicide prevention is done. A project was begun which, since 1999, has aimed to detect depression at an early stage as a suicide prevention measure in a model area of Town A, which had a high suicide rate. In order to promote early intervention and prevention in a community, it is important to know where residents seek help if they become depressed or have suicidal ideation. Therefore, in the present study, help-seeking behavior using case vignettes was investigated. Data from 230 residents (82 men, 148 women) in the model area of Town A, aged 65 or over, were analyzed in the present study. If participants were unable to answer by themselves due to physical condition, public health nurses read out each item and wrote in their answers. The relationship between help-seeking behavior and demographic variables, psychosocial variables, depressive symptoms and so forth, were examined. The results show that participation in mental health workshops facilitated consultation with specialists (e.g. primary care doctors and nurses). The expected effects of psychoeducation on the general public and specialists were considered.
Department of Psychology, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan. JCB00146@nifty.com
Shinji
S
Sakamoto
Eriko
E
Tanaka
Keiko
K
Neichi
Yutaka
Y
Ono
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention