Risk Factors for Suicide in Older Inpatient Veterans with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Patients with schizophrenia have an elevated risk of suicidal behavior. We explored whether there were age differences in inpatients with schizophrenia admitted for suicidal behavior. We compared demographic/clinical characteristics of 76 inpatients aged > 59 to those < 60. All patients had a score greater > 0 on items 4 (active suicidality) and/or 5 (passive suicidality) on the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation for inclusion. There were no significant group differences with respect to race, education, depressive symptoms or negative symptoms. There was evidence suggesting that hallucinations appear to be less prominent in the older group. Future studies will determine whether these age related differences are stable over time and could account for potential age differences in suicidal behavior in individuals with schizophrenia.