Paper Summary:

This paper examines why older people, especially those suffering from depression and other illnesses, give consideration to suicide. It discusses the signs that carers should look out for that indicate that an elderly person may be considering suicide. The paper also looks at what can be done to prevent these aging citizens from harming themselves.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Available Literature Reflecting Pertinent Studies
Intervention Programs
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It is clear that many older people, for a variety of health and situational reasons, give serious consideration to suicide. It is also clear that when there is psychosocial intervention, those older people begin to become more positive about their lives. And beyond that, the data found while researching this paper indicates that more seniors prefer counseling over antidepressant drugs; but counseling services are not available to many older people. The answer for community-based health care service providers is to increase the number of counselors available to the elderly, decrease the number of prescriptions for antidepressant drugs, and give special attention to the low income sector of older people because they are the most often in need and most often neglected."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bruce, ML. (2004). Care Managers reduce suicide risk in older people. Nursing Standard 18(32), 10, and Journal of the American Medical Association (292(9), 1081-1901.
• Curran, Joseph. (2006). Deliberate self-harm in the over 60s. Mental Health Practice, 10(1), 29-30.
• Fitzpatrick, Joyce. (2005). Signs of silent suicide among depressed hospitalized geriatric Patients. American Psychiatric Nurses Association Journal, 11(5), 290.
• Juurlink, D.N.; Herrmann, N.; & Szalai, J.P. (2004). Physical illness may drive elderly people to suicide. Clinician Reviews, 14(8), 32-34.
• Waern, Margda; Rubenowitz, E.; Runeson, B.; Skoog, I.; Wilhelmson, K.; & Allebeck, P. (2002). Burden of illness and suicide in elderly people: a case-control study. British Medical Journal, 324(7350), 1355-1358.

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