A study of self-harm in older people: mental disorder, social factors and motives.
Data was collected on seventy-six older people who presented to a specialist self-harm team. Data included: diagnosis, suicide intent, motives for self-harm, social contacts and life events and difficulties. The majority of elderly who harmed themselves had high suicide intent and 69% were depressed. Patients were frequently living alone with an isolated life-style and poor physical health. Depressed self-harm subjects had higher suicide intent scores than non-depressed and to gain relief from an unbearable state of mind was a frequently recorded motive for these patients. Other motives for self-harm appear to be similar between depressed and non-depressed self-harmers. It is important that older people who self-harm receive an appropriate assessment of both risk and need by an experienced mental-health professional skilled at recognising depression in later life. The need for adequate recognition and management of depression in older people in primary care is also highlighted.
Dennis
M S
MS
Psychiatry for the Elderly, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK. msd4@le.ac.uk
Wakefield
P
P
Molloy
C
C
Andrews
H
H
Friedman
T
T
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D009042:Motivation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D006113:United Kingdom