title: Clinical decision making regarding suicide risk: Effect of patient and clinician age.
abstract: To ascertain how patient age influences suicide risk assessment, clinicians (N = 262) read an ambiguous vignette about Bill (aged either 39 or 79 years old) and subsequently rated Bill's suicide risk and hospitalization needs. Suicide-risk ratings varied greatly and young clinicians rated Bill's suicide risk and hospitalization needs higher when he was elderly (79 years old); whereas, older clinicians rated Bill's suicide risk and need for hospitalization higher when he was younger (39 years old). The interaction between patient and clinician age may reflect a "similarity" bias, such that clinicians perceive those who are different (i.e., younger or older) to be at elevated risk.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Noah Chase
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Esther S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matheny
authors.affiliation: b Harvard Law School , Cambridge , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: I Glenn
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013405:Suicide; D055815:Young Adult