Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults With Suicide-Related Emergency Department Presentations.

Gysin-Maillart, Anja; Bettschen, David; Annaheim, Pascale; Brogna, Stella; Walther, Sebastian; Waern, Margda; Müller, Martin; Exadaktylos, Aristomenis K; Klukowska-Rötzler, Jolanta (2024). Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults With Suicide-Related Emergency Department Presentations. (In Press). Journal of aging and health, p. 8982643241261094. Sage 10.1177/08982643241261094

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OBJECTIVES

To identify characteristics of older adult emergency department (ED) patients aged ≥65 with suicidal ideation and/or behavior.

METHODS

A single center retrospective chart review analyzed 392 patients (≥65) with suicidal ideation and/or behavior (2013-2019). Comprehensive full-text searches were used. Subgroup analyses for age and gender were conducted.

RESULTS

Depressive disorder was documented in 50% of cases. Notably, 54% of all women were prescribed antidepressants, compared to only 31% of men. Most patients had general medical conditions (74.5%) and chronic multimorbidity (71.2%). Social stress affected 40.1%; 35.7% were intoxicated upon presentation. Alcohol abuse was more common in the 65-74 age group, while dementia impacted 20% of those ≥75. Men had a six-fold higher 30-day post-discharge mortality.

DISCUSSION

Older ED patients with suicidal ideation and/or behavior exhibit typical characteristics. The dementia prevalence suggests tailored care for those ≥75, and the heightened post-discharge mortality rate in older men requires further research.

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