ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Attributions for attempting suicide were explored in older adults with and without serious physical illness. METHODS: An open-ended question was used to explore attributions for attempting suicide in 101 hospitalized persons aged 70+. Serious physical illness was defined as a score of 3 or 4 on any of the 13 non-psychiatric organ categories in the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics. RESULTS: Roughly one-third of hospitalized persons with (22/62) and without (12/39) serious physical illness attributed the suicide attempt to somatic distress. Among 70- to 79-year-olds, seriously physically ill patients were more likely than healthier patients to attribute their attempt to psychological pain (84% vs. 48%, p = 0.013). There were no significant differences in attributions in persons with and without serious health problems in the 80+ group. CONCLUSIONS: The processes by which physical illness confers risk for attempted suicide in older adulthood may be age dependent. Interventions are needed to mitigate psychological pain in physically ill older patients, especially those in their seventies. Research is needed to understand how the psychological processes that influence the desire for suicide change across older adulthood. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subject(s)
Chronic Disease/psychology , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Motivation , Risk Factors , Somatoform Disorders/psychology , Stress, PsychologicalABSTRACT
Personality traits have been shown to influence suicidal behaviour but the literature on 'older' elderly is sparse. The aim was to compare neuroticism and extroversion in hospitalized suicide attempters aged 75 and above and a general population comparison group. Seventy-two hospitalized suicide attempters (mean age 81 years) were interviewed. Comparison subjects were drawn from participants in population studies on health and ageing. Participants completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and symptoms of depression were rated with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Depression diagnoses were made in accordance with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. Attempters scored higher on the neuroticism scale than comparison subjects (mean = 9.9 vs. 7.6, t = 3.74, df = 358, p < 0.001) and lower on the extroversion scale (mean = 10.8 vs. 12.0; t = -2.76, df = 358, p = 0.006). While these differences did not remain after adjustment for major depression, attempters with minor depression were less neurotic than comparison subjects with this diagnosis (mean = 6.6 vs. 11.1, t = -3.35, df = 63, p = 0.001) and a negative association with neuroticism remained in a multivariate model. In conclusion cases scored higher on neuroticism and lower on extroversion compared to comparison subjects. The finding that attempters with minor depression were less neurotic than comparison subjects with this diagnosis was unexpected and needs to be examined in larger samples.
Subject(s)
Anxiety Disorders/psychology , Depression/psychology , Extraversion, Psychological , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Suicide, Attempted/psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Depression/epidemiology , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Female , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Logistic Models , Male , Mental Status Schedule , Neuroticism , Personality Inventory , Population Surveillance , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , Suicide, Attempted/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Sweden/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The concept of reserve can be conceived as differences in the ability to compensate for pathology by recruiting additional or alternative networks. The purpose of this study was to examine whether certain cognitive systems may compensate for the effect of CSF amyloid beta 42 (Aß42) and total tau (T-tau) on other cognitive systems. Five hundred and nine participants underwent neuropsychological examination and lumbar puncture. Multiple regression was performed with interaction terms to test whether a cognitive system reduced the impact of CSF pathology on other systems. All cognitive systems except speed and visuospatial functions were associated with reduced effects of T-tau and Aß42 on semantic memory, working memory and visuospatial abilities. The burden of Aß42 was reduced more often than that of T-tau. Our results suggest that most cognitive systems may be beneficial to maintenance of cognitive performance despite CSF burden. The results support the notion of cognitive reserve.
