Educating Crisis Supporters About Self-Harm and Suicide in Older Adults: Commentary

Abstract

Educating Crisis Supporters About Self-Harm and Suicide in Older Adults by Wand A, Jessop T and Peisah C 1 Wand APF, Jessop T, Peisah C: Educating crisis supporters about self-harm and suicide in older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021; S1064-7481:00515-7 Google Scholar is an article that focuses on the use of an online tool that teaches Australian crisis volunteers about certain red flags of suicidal behavior in older age individuals. Educating Crisis Supporters About Self-Harm and Suicide in Older AdultsThe American Journal of Geriatric PsychiatryVol. 30Issue 11PreviewGlobally, the population is ageing and, strikingly at the same time, men aged 80 years or more have some of the highest rates of completed suicide, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies. Indicated suicide prevention strategies are directed at people with acute suicidal ideation or who have made a suicide attempt. It is especially important to respond to any self-harm in older adults as the ratio of self-harm to suicide is low and self-harm is associated with use of more lethal means and greater intent to die compared to younger adults. Full-Text PDF