Citation

Mills PD, Watts BV, Huh TJW, Boar S, Kemp J. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2013; 201(1): 12-16.

Affiliation

*VA National Center for Patient Safety Field Office, White River Junction, VT; †Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH; ‡Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto CA; and §Suicide Prevention, VAMC, Canandaigua, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827ab29c

PMID

23274289

Abstract

This study examines the health system factors associated with completed suicide among veterans older than 65 years. All root cause analysis reports of suicides that occurred between 2008 and 2010 in the Veterans Health Administration were reviewed; of those, 46 reports were for those 65 years or older. The average age in the sample was 76.96 years; all were men. Method of suicide, stressors, previous attempts, root causes, and action plans designed to address the root causes are reported. Based on these results, recommendations are made for the assessment and treatment of suicide in elderly men.

Language: en