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Suicide ideation in older adults: relationship to mental health problems and service use
- Authors:
- CORNA Laurie M., CAIRNEY John, STREINER David L.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(6), December 2010, pp.785-797.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of suicide ideation among community-dwelling older adults and the relationship between suicide ideation, major psychiatric disorder, and mental health service use. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2: Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2) for all adults aged 55 years and over was used to estimate the prevalence of suicide ideation and the prevalence of major psychiatric disorder and service use among ideators versus nonideators. Using multivariate models, the study considered the sociodemographic, social, and mental health correlates of suicide ideation and mental health care use. The results showed that more than 2% of older adults reported suicide ideation in the past year and more than two thirds of these respondents did not meet the criteria for any of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders assessed in the CCHS 1.2. In multivariate models, being male, younger, or widowed, reporting lower social support and higher psychological distress increased the likelihood of suicide ideation. More than 50% of the respondents who reported suicidal thoughts did not access any type of mental health care use. The article concludes that, although suicide ideation is associated with depression and anxiety disorders, many older adults with suicidal thoughts do not meet the criteria for these clinical disorders.