Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026
06:52
Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Suicidal behavior in the older patient with schizophrenia
John Kasckow1, Lori Montross, Laurie Prunty
1Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health Care System MIRECC & Behavioral Health Service, 7180 Highland Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
Aging Health
|October 27, 2011
Summary
Research on treating suicidal elderly schizophrenia patients is limited. An integrated approach and SSRI augmentation show promise for reducing suicidal ideation and depression in this population.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Schizophrenia Research
- Suicidology
Background:
- Limited understanding of suicide treatment in elderly schizophrenia patients.
- Identified risk factors in middle-aged/older adults may not fully apply to geriatric populations.
- Need for specific research in elderly suicidal schizophrenia patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review existing literature on treating elderly suicidal schizophrenia patients.
- Identify knowledge gaps and future research directions.
- Discuss effective treatment strategies for this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on elderly suicidal patients with schizophrenia.
- Analysis of risk factors and treatment approaches.
- Examination of pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions.
Main Results:
- Key risk factors identified in older adults include hopelessness, low quality of life, trauma, depression, and prior suicidal behavior.
- An integrated psychosocial and pharmacologic approach is recommended.
- SSRI augmentation (e.g., citalopram) with antipsychotics reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a recent study.
Conclusions:
- Further research is essential to understand suicidal behavior in older schizophrenia patients.
- Integrated treatment strategies are crucial for this vulnerable population.
- SSRI augmentation may be a viable option for managing suicidal ideation and depression.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...
01:17Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a term introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, describes a severe psychological disorder marked by profound disruptions in attention, thought processes, language, emotion, and interpersonal relationships. The core feature of schizophrenia is psychosis — a state characterized by a fundamental detachment from reality. This disconnection manifests through distorted logic, impaired perception, and atypical behavior, severely affecting the lives of those diagnosed.
01:28Drug Therapy
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic symptoms in all...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...