Duckworth G, McBride H
Mississauga Hospital, Ontario.
Can J Psychiatry. 1996 May;41(4):217-22. doi: 10.1177/070674379604100405.
To investigate the incidence and treatment of depression in geriatric suicide.
All coroners' records, autopsy and police reports for suicide victims aged 65+ in Ontario (n = 543) over 3 years were examined.
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.
These findings suggest that early geropsychiatric assessment and vigorous treatment could prevent many suicides in old age.
调查老年自杀患者中抑郁症的发病率及治疗情况。
对安大略省三年内65岁及以上自杀受害者（n = 543）的所有验尸官记录、尸检报告和警方报告进行了检查。
超过80%的自杀老年人未接受精神科转诊。在样本中，87%未接受治疗，只有13%服用了抗抑郁药。过量服用有致命危险的三环类药物是首选药物。样本中无人使用更安全的选择性5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂（SSRI）进行治疗。女性接受治疗的可能性是男性的3倍，看精神科医生的人接受抗抑郁药治疗的可能性是看全科医生（GP）的人的4倍。身体患病者很少接受治疗。
这些发现表明，早期老年精神病学评估和积极治疗可预防许多老年人自杀。
