Scocco Paolo, Rapattoni Monica, Fantoni Giovanna, Galuppo Maurizia, De Biasi Francesca, de Girolamo Giovanni, Pavan Luigi
Department of Mental Health, Padua, Italy.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Apr;21(4):307-11. doi: 10.1002/gps.1452.
To assess suicide and attempted suicide (AS) rates and their characteristics among older residents in Nursing Homes (NHs) of the Veneto region, in the North-East of Italy.
The complete list of NHs was provided by the Regional Department of Health. Structured interviews were completed with NH managers, inquiring about NH, staff and management characteristics, mental health care available and the number of completed and attempted suicides (AS) in 2001 made by residents older than 65 years, occurring either inside or outside NHs. All facilities which reported suicidal events were asked additional information.
In the study period, five completed suicides and eight AS were reported, i.e. a rate of 18.6/100,000 and of 29.7/100,000 respectively. All but one suicides and one AS had a history of mental disorders. Seven subjects had been living in a NH for less than one year. There were no significant differences in the frequency of suicidal events between the facilities which employed or did not employ mental health workers.
The suicide rate found in this facility sample is much higher than the rate reported by the Italian National Statistic Institute for the over-65-year-old population of the Veneto Region in 2001, and is similar to the rate reported in a previous study conducted in another country. In Veneto NHs behavioural control of residents, lack of access to a variety of means used for suicidal purposes and medical supervision does not seem to have protected the NH population from suicidal risks.
评估意大利东北部威尼托地区养老院老年居民的自杀率和自杀未遂率及其特征。
地区卫生部提供了养老院的完整名单。对养老院管理人员进行了结构化访谈，询问养老院、工作人员和管理特征、现有的精神卫生保健以及2001年65岁以上居民在养老院内外发生的自杀身亡和自杀未遂人数。所有报告有自杀事件的机构都被询问了更多信息。
在研究期间，报告了5例自杀身亡和8例自杀未遂，即自杀率分别为18.6/10万和自杀未遂率为29.7/10万。除1例自杀和1例自杀未遂外，所有自杀和自杀未遂者都有精神障碍病史。7名受试者在养老院居住不到一年。聘用或未聘用精神卫生工作者的机构之间，自杀事件的发生率没有显著差异。
在这个机构样本中发现的自杀率远高于意大利国家统计局报告的2001年威尼托地区65岁以上人口的自杀率，并且与在另一个国家进行的先前研究报告的自杀率相似。在威尼托地区的养老院中，对居民的行为控制、缺乏获取用于自杀目的的各种手段的途径以及医疗监督似乎并未保护养老院居民免受自杀风险。
