Suicide in the elderly: a psychological autopsy study in a North Italy area (1994-2004).
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to evaluate the role of several variables hypothesized in previous research to be associated with suicide in older adults.


METHODS
Psychological autopsy study.


METHODS
Suicides who were resident in the province of Parma and Piacenza and who died between 1994 and 2004.


METHODS
Ninety-nine elderly suicides (age >or=65 years; 77 men and 22 women) and 134 younger comparison suicides (115 men and 19 women). Younger victims were subdivided in two more homogeneous groups: young adults (age <36 years) and adults (age: 36-64 years).


METHODS
Direct proxy-based interviews with relatives and family physicians.


RESULTS
Elderly victims were nine times (OR = 9.09; 95% CI: 1.32-62.63) more likely to live alone, 26 times (OR = 26.76; 95% CI: 9.04-79.24) more likely to be retired, and 14 times (OR = 14.57; 95% CI: 2.48-85.65) more likely to have attended school for no more than 5 years than adult suicides. Although, more than 50% of older suicides were diagnosed as DSM-IV-TR depressed, only 20%-30% of them had been treated with medications.


CONCLUSIONS
Diverse patterns of risk factors for suicide have to be evaluated in older adults. Physicians must be aware that the concomitant presence of depressive symptoms and several life events (especially loss and loneliness in women and physical illness in men) should be considered warning signs for suicidal behavior.
McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
Maurizio
M
Pompili
Marco
M
Innamorati
Vittoria
V
Masotti
Federico
F
Personnè
David
D
Lester
Cristina
C
Di Vittorio
Roberto
R
Tatarelli
Paolo
P
Girardi
Mario
M
Amore
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention