Abstract
More than 600 million people are aged 60 years and over are living in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that this number will double by 2025 to 2 billion older people. Suicide among people over the age of 60 is one of the most acute problems. The factors strongly associated with suicide are mentioned: physical illnesses, such as cancer, neurologic disorder, pain, liver disease, genital disorders, or rheumatoid disorders. Moreover, neurologic conditions, especially stroke, may affect decision-making processes, cognitive capacity, and language deficit. In addition to dementia, the most common mental disorders are mood and anxiety disorders. A common symptom of these disorders in the elderly is cognitive impairment. This study aimed to present the relationship between cognitive impairment due to dementia, mood disorders and anxiety, and an increased risk of suicide among older people. Dementia is a disease where the risk of suicide is significant. Many studies demonstrated that older adults with dementia had an increased risk of suicide death than those without dementia. Similar conclusions apply to prodromal dementia Depression is also a disease with a high risk of suicide. Many researchers found that a higher level of depression was associated with suicide attempts and suicide ideation. Bipolar disorder is the second entity in mood disorders with an increased risk of suicide among the elderly. Apart from suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder is characterized by high mortality. In the group of anxiety disorders, the most significant risk of suicide occurs when depression is present. In turn, suicide thoughts are more common in social phobia than in other anxiety disorders. Suicide among the elderly is a serious public health problem. There is a positive correlation between mental disorders such as dementia, depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety and the prevalence of suicide in the elderly. Therefore, the elderly should be comprehensively provided with psychiatric and psychological support.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 600 million people age 60 years and older worldwide
Older men and women have been identified as having the highest suicide rate in almost every country, reaching 48.7/100,000 in the US for white men and 140/100,000 in rural China for men [6, 8]
This study aimed to present the relationship between cognitive impairment due to dementia, mood disorders and anxiety, and an increased risk of suicide among older adults
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 600 million people age 60 years and older worldwide. The WHO further estimated that, by 2025, this number would double to two billion older people [1]. It is well-known that older people are at greater risk for diseases and body injuries, poverty, social isolation, loneliness, and loss of independence, all of which contribute to Mental Disorders and Suicide in Older Adults deterioration in mental health [2, 3]. The prevalence rate of suicide ranges from 8.54 to 33% [3,4,5]. Almost 78% of all completed suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries, and in general, suicides account for 1.4% of premature deaths worldwide [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
