Completed suicide in psychogeriatric inpatients

Abstract In a larger sample of psychiatric inpatient suicides a proportion of 15% of psychogeriatric patients was identified corresponding exactly to the proportion of psychogeriatric patients in the control group. Among inpatient suicides, the patients of older age groups are not over‐represented. Comparing 22 psychogeriatric inpatient suicides with 21 psychogeriatric inpatient controls a few significant differences emerged pointing to a longer, more severe and more incapacitating course of the suicides' illness. Psychogeriatric inpatient suicides were also compared with 127 younger inpatient suicides. Psychogeriatric suicides represent a cohort of patients who fall ill at a substantially later age, otherwise suffering from comparable mental illnesses of similar characteristics.