Age Differences in Suicide Risk Screening and Management prior to Suicide Attempts

Contacts with healthcare providers in the immediate days or weeks leading to a suicide attempt or death represent missed opportunities to reduce patients ’ suicide risk. Prior studies, including a systematic review, have found middle aged and older adults make visits to general medical providers more often than younger adults before suicide.1,2 However, when compared to age-matched controls, older adults who die by suicide are not more likely to se e their primary care providers in the month before death, suggesting that primary care visits are not a specific marker of suicide risk.

Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - January 22, 2019 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Kelsey Simons, Kimberly Van Orden, Kenneth R. Conner, Courtney Bagge Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research