Mild cognitive impairment is associated with passive suicidal ideation in older adults: A population-based study

To investigate the association between MCI and passive/active suicidal ideation in a population-based sample of older adults.

The sample included 916 participants without dementia acquired from the two population-based studies Prospective Population Study of Women (PPSW) and the H70-study. Cognitive status was assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychiatric examination and classified according to the Winblad et al. criteria: 182 participants were classified as cognitively intact, 448 had cognitive impairment but did not fulfill MCI criteria and 286 were diagnosed with MCI. Passive/active suicidal ideation was assessed using the Paykel questions.

Passive or active suicidal ideation (any level) was reported by 16.0% of those with MCI and 1.1% of those who were cognitively intact. MCI was associated with past year life-weariness (OR 18.32, 95% CI 2.44-137.75) and death wishes (OR 5.30, 95% CI 1.19-23.64) in regression models adjusted for covariates including major depression. Lifetime suicidal ideation was reported more frequently in MCI (35.7%) than in cognitively intact participants (14.8%). MCI was associated with lifetime life-weariness (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.67-5.05). Among individuals with MCI, impairments in memory and visuospatial ability were associated with both past year and lifetime life-weariness.

Our findings suggest reports of past year as well as lifetime passive suicidal ideation to be more frequent among individuals with MCI compared to those cognitively intact, indicating that individuals with MCI may constitute a high-risk group for suicidal behavior.