title: Wishes to die in older people: a quantitative study of prevalence and associated factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Death thoughts and wishes occur frequently among older people. In different European countries estimates of 10%-20% have been found.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and associated factors of death thoughts and wishes among older people in The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  In The Netherlands 1794 people (58-98 years) were interviewed in 2005/2006 (Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam).
  
  
  RESULTS
  81.3% reported never having death thoughts/wishes; 15.3% reported having had such thoughts/wishes; 3.4% reported currently having a wish to die and/or a weakened wish to continue living. Of those with a current wish to die, 67% had depressive symptoms (vs. 32% of people with death thoughts/wishes ever and 9% of people who never had had death thoughts/wishes), and 20% suffered from a depressive disorder (vs. 5% if death thoughts/wishes ever; 0.3% if never death thoughts/wishes). In a multivariate analysis, a current wish to die was associated with having depressive symptoms, a depressive disorder, lower perceived mastery, financial problems, loneliness, small network, involuntary urine loss, being divorced, and having a speech impediment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Practical implications for health-care professionals are that they should be aware that in certain situations older people are more likely to develop a wish to die, and that a wish to die does not necessarily mean that someone has a depressive disorder. Nevertheless, it should serve as a trigger to investigate and to treat depression if present.
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rurup
authors.forename: D J H
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Deeg
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Poppelaars
authors.forename: A J F M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kerkhof
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Onwuteaka-Philipsen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D000092864:Suicide Prevention