Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 300 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011 Jun;13(3):234-41. doi: 10.1007/s11920-011-0193-3.
Suicide in late life is an enormous public health problem that will likely increase in severity as adults of the baby boom generation age. Data from psychological autopsy studies supplemented with recent studies of suicidal ideation and attempts point to a consistent set of risk factors for the spectrum of suicidal behaviors in late life (suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths). Clinicians should be vigilant for psychiatric illness (especially depression), physical illness, pain, functional impairment, and social disconnectedness. Recent advances in late-life suicide prevention have in common collaborative, multifaceted intervention designs. We suggest that one mechanism shared by all preventive interventions shown to reduce the incidence of late-life suicide is the promotion of connectedness. For the clinician working with older adults, our recommendation is to not only consider risk factors, such as depression, and implement appropriate treatments but to enhance social connectedness as well.
晚年自杀是一个巨大的公共卫生问题，随着婴儿潮一代的成年人年龄的增长，这个问题可能会变得更加严重。心理解剖研究的数据，加上最近对自杀意念和企图的研究，为晚年各种自杀行为（自杀意念、企图和死亡）的一组一致的风险因素提供了依据。临床医生应该警惕精神疾病（尤其是抑郁症）、身体疾病、疼痛、功能障碍和社会脱节。最近在预防晚年自杀方面的进展有一个共同的特点，即合作、多方面的干预设计。我们认为，所有被证明可以降低晚年自杀发生率的预防干预措施所共有的一个机制是促进关联性。对于与老年人一起工作的临床医生，我们的建议不仅是要考虑如抑郁症等风险因素，并实施适当的治疗，还要加强社会联系。
