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Epidemiology of suicidal ideation and help‐seeking behaviors among the elderly in Japan
Author(s) -
Ono Yutaka,
Tanaka Eriko,
Oyama Hiroshi,
Toyokawa Keiko,
Koizumi Takeshi,
Shinohe Kiku,
Satoh Kyoko,
Nishizuka Emiko,
Kominato Harue,
Nakamura Kenji,
Yoshimura Kimio
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00912.x
Subject(s) - suicidal ideation , suicide prevention , psychology , epidemiology , population , psychiatry , injury prevention , depression (economics) , poison control , elderly people , gerontology , medicine , medical emergency , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
This study offers an analysis of the elderly (over 65 years of age) among a general community population in terms of the percentages of: (i) persons with recurring thoughts of death and/or of committing suicide, and (ii) people who have consulted others, including medical professionals, with regard to these problems. Among 433 elderly over the age of 65 in one community in a town in Aomori Prefecture, 358 agreed to participate in the project. Forty‐four participants (12.3%) responded that they had either ‘thoughts of death’ or ‘thoughts of suicide’, and these thoughts had continued for more than 2 weeks in 12 participants (3.4%). Only 15 of the 44 suicidal elderly responded that they had consulted someone about their problems. Although there are many elderly people exhibiting a subclinical depressive state with recurring thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, the number of people who consult family members, professionals, or others is very low. This suggests the importance of community networking through educational activities so that people can more readily talk to and support one another.