Preventing suicide in older patients with an eagle eye and a listening ear

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OLDER PEOPLE

Preventing suicide in older patients with an eagle eye and a listening ear

23 November 2022

Ngaire Kerse

Wednesday 23 November 2022, 12:25 AM

The festive season can be a lonely time for older people [Image: Ekaterina Bolovtsova on Pexels]

You may be overwhelmed with the end-of-year rush, but specialist GP Ngaire Kerse urges you to remember the lonely this spring and festive season

Key points, The intersection of depression, dementia and loneliness is a significant risk for older people, particularly men. The main risk factors for suicide , Pract Green w Pale Yellow

Mental Health

References

1. Barak Y, Fortune S, Hobbs L, et al. Strategies to prevent elderly suicide: A Delphi consensus study. Australas Psychiatry 2022;30(3):298–302.

2. Barak Y, Cheung G, Fortune S, Glue P. No country for older men: ageing male suicide in New Zealand. Australas Psychiatry 2020;28(4):383–85.

3. Cheung G, Chai Y, Troya MI, Luo H. Predictive factors of nonfatal self-harm among community-dwelling older adults assessed for support services. Int Psychogeriatr 2022;34(9):813–26.

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