Measuring suicide risk in the elderly with non-institutionalized depression: an integrative review.

Sabrina Piccinelli Zanchettin Silva,Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi

doi:10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0106

Sabrina Piccinelli Zanchettin Silva, Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0106

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Abstract

Analyze the state of the art about instruments, at national and international levels, for assessing the risk of suicide in elderly people with depression assisted in the community. Integrative review of 38 complete articles, published in journals indexed in the databases: US National Library of Medicine (PubMed Central), Scopus, CINAHL and Web of Science, located using controlled descriptors combined with Boolean operators: elderly OR aged OR older OR elder OR geriatric AND depression AND suicide AND risk assessment. Six instruments were found, all international and published in the English language, in order to identify suicidal behavior and ideation in the elderly. Of these, two are specific scales for assessing the risk of suicide in the elderly in the community: 5-item GDS subscale and Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale. With the scarcity of national instruments to assess such risk, research is recommended to cross-culturally adapt one of these scales to the Brazilian Portuguese language.

Highlights

In Brazil, projections indicate that the number of elderly people will equal the number of young people in 2031 and that there will be approximately 70 million people in 2055(1), scenario that ignites the need for health professionals trained to this new epidemiological profile
It is worth highlighting the greater vulnerability of this population to chronic diseases and to the losses and negative events accumulated throughout life[7], that, associates, leverage suicide rates[9]
A prevalence of 45.8% of depression was found[14] and 6.3% of suicide among elderly people in the community[14]. This latter rate, associated with socio-cultural factors, presence of chronic diseases, previous and current mental health status, physical health status and degree of autonomy . (1426) research shows that individuals with depression are more susceptible to suicide[23], the event may incur people without mental illness[27]

Summary

Introduction

In Brazil, projections indicate that the number of elderly people will equal the number of young people in 2031 and that there will be approximately 70 million people in 2055(1), scenario that ignites the need for health professionals trained to this new epidemiological profile. In this context, mental illnesses that predominantly compromise quality of life in senescence, through the impairment of cognitive function and functional capacity, stand out[2]. When depression is associated with chronic diseases, morbidity and mortality increase, causing psychological and financial burden for the individual, family and health system[8]. It is worth highlighting the greater vulnerability of this population to chronic diseases and to the losses and negative events accumulated throughout life[7], that, associates, leverage suicide rates[9]

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