title: Characteristics and comorbid symptoms of older adults reporting death ideation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether death ideation in late life is associated with markers of elevated risk for suicide, or reflects normal psychological processes in later life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cross-sectional study in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consists of 345 men and women of age 85 years (born 1901-1902) and living in Gothenburg, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Paykel Scale measured the most severe level of suicidality over an individual's lifetime. Other key measures were severity of depression and anxiety and frequency of death/suicidal ideation over the previous month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Latent class analysis revealed distinct groups of older adults who reported recent death ideation. Recent death ideation did not occur apart from other risk factors for suicide; instead individuals reporting recent death ideation also reported either 1) recent high levels of depression and anxiety, or 2) more distant histories of serious suicidal ideation (indicative of worst point severity of suicidal ideation)-both of which elevate risk for eventual suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate a heterogeneous presentation of older adults who report death ideation, with some presenting with acute distress and suicidal thoughts, and others presenting with low distress but histories of serious suicidal ideation. The presence of death ideation is associated with markers of increased risk for suicide, including "worst point" active suicidal ideation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. Electronic address: kimberly_vanorden@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Van Orden
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simning
authors.forename: Yeates
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Conwell
authors.forename: Ingmar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Skoog
authors.forename: Margda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waern
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003643:Death; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013548:Sweden
keywords: Anxiety; depression; risk assessment suicide; suicidal ideation