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Suicide in the Geriatric Population: Risk Factors, Identification, and Management

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Abstract

Although the prevalence of suicide attempts among the geriatric population is lower than in other age groups, the proportion of attempts which result in suicide is greater. And when psychiatric hospitalization is deemed necessary, there is a presumption among referring providers and family members that the chosen inpatient setting has adequate resources and time for the evaluation and prevention of suicidal behavior. Therefore, an assessment of suicide risk in the geriatric psychiatric inpatient unit requires a more thorough evaluation than in the emergency department, community, or outpatient settings. This chapter reviews known risk factors in the aging population, strategies for appropriate assessment of suicidality, and recommendations for its management and prevention.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kaiser Permanente, Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Kaiser Permanente, Ontario, CA, USA

    Manisha Shenava

  2. Palo Alto Veterans’ Institute for Research (PAVIR), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Rita Hitching

  3. Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Training Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Laura B. Dunn

Authors
  1. Manisha Shenava
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  2. Rita Hitching
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  3. Laura B. Dunn
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura B. Dunn .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Stanford/VA Alzheimer’s Center, VA Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Howard H. Fenn

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Baylor Scott and White Central Texas, Division College of Medicine, Texas A & M University, Health Science Center, Temple, TX, USA

    James A. Bourgeois

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Shenava, M., Hitching, R., Dunn, L.B. (2019). Suicide in the Geriatric Population: Risk Factors, Identification, and Management. In: Fenn, H., Hategan, A., Bourgeois, J. (eds) Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10401-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10401-6_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10401-6

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