TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1996//
TI  - Suicide in old age: A tragedy of neglect
JO  - Canadian journal of psychiatry, The
A1  - Duckworth, G.
A1  - McBride, H.
SP  - 217
EP  - 222
VL  - 41
IS  - 4
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and treatment of depression in geriatric suicide. METHOD: All coroners' records, autopsy and police reports for suicide victims aged 65+ in Ontario (n = 543) over 3 years were examined. RESULTS: Over 80% of the elderly who committed suicide received no psychiatric referral. Of the sample, 87% were untreated while only 13% received antidepressants. Tricyclics, which are lethal in overdose, were the drugs of choice. None of the sample was treated with the safer specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Females were 3 times as likely to be treated as were males, and those seeing psychiatrists were 4 times more likely to be treated with antidepressants than those seeing general practitioners (GPs). The physically ill were rarely treated. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that early geropsychiatric assessment and vigorous treatment could prevent many suicides in old age.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0706-7437
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -