Suicide Risk Factors May Be Overlooked in Older Veterans, Study Suggests

General health professionals may be missing key opportunities to assess suicidal risk and prevent suicide attempts in veterans aged 50 or older. Astudy in theAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that veterans aged 50 and older who later attempted suicide were less likely to be asked about impulsivity and firearms access during their last visit prior to the attempt than younger veterans who later attempted suicide. The older veterans were also less likely to receive mental health referrals than their younger peers.Kelsey Simons, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., of the Veterans Administration VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention in Canandaigua, N.Y., and colleagues used electronic health records to examine differences in suicide risk screening among 93 patients who attempted suicide and who had visited VA medical facilities within a year before the attempt. The researchers also looked at differences in mental health referrals made by general health professionals. All patients were veterans who had survived a suicide attempt within 48 hours before hospitalization. Thirty-seven patients were age 50 or older, and 56 were 18 to 49.Among all patients, the last visit to a VA medical facility occurred at an average of about 27 days before a suicide attempt, and most visits occurred in an outpatient setting. Although general health professionals screened both groups of patients equally for risk factors such as depression and suicidal ideation, they were less likely to screen ol...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry collaborative care Kelsey Simons older adults suicide VA veterans Source Type: research