Citation

Sendbuehler JM, Goldstein S. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 1977; 25(6): 245-248.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1977, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

864169

Abstract

Although the rate for suicide in old age is high, the rate for attempted (unsuccessful) suicide is low. Among the elderly, suicide-attempt groups have more physical disorders, more psychoses, and more psychopathologic findings, and are under-represented demographically. Fifty percent of the elderly suicide attempters have organic brain syndrome (OBS), compared to only 5-10 percent of the "normal" population over age 60. Among what might be expected to be a high-risk suicide population, OBS apparently interferes with the success of suicide attempts by impairing coordination, planning, determination, and awareness of reality.

Language: en