Suicide and deliberate self harm in older Irish adults

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dc.contributor.authorCorcoran, Paul
dc.contributor.authorReulbach, Udo
dc.contributor.authorPerry, Ivan J.
dc.contributor.authorArensman, Ella
dc.contributor.funderHealth Service Executive, Irelanden
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-21T14:14:45Z
dc.date.available2016-07-21T14:14:45Z
dc.date.issued2010-08-18
dc.date.updated2014-10-24T10:44:06Z
dc.description.abstractBackground: Hospital-treated deliberate self harm and suicide among older adults have rarely been examined at a national level. Methods: The Irish Central Statistics Office provided suicide and undetermined death data for 1980-2006. The National Registry of Deliberate Self Harm collected data relating to deliberate self harm presentations made in 2006-2008 to all 40 Irish hospital emergency departments. Results: Rates of female suicide among older adults (over 55 years) were relatively stable in Ireland during 1980-2006 whereas male rates increased in the 1980s and decreased in more recent decades. Respectively, the annual male and female suicide and undetermined death rate was 22.1 and 7.6 per 100,000 in 1997-2006. Male and female deliberate self harm was 3.0 and 11.0 times higher at 67.4 and 83.4 per 100,000, respectively. Deliberate self harm and suicide decreased in incidence with increasing age. Deliberate self harm generally involved drug overdose (male: 72%; female 85%) or self-cutting (male: 15%; female 9%). The most common methods of suicide were hanging (41%) and drowning (29%) for men and drowning (39%) and drug overdose (24%) for women. City and urban district populations had the highest rates of hospital-treated self harm. The highest suicide rates were in urban districts. Conclusions: Older Irish adults have high rates of hospital-treated deliberate self harm but below average rates of suicide. Drowning was relatively common as a method of suicide. Restricting availability of specific medications may reduce both forms of suicidal behavior.en
dc.description.sponsorshipHealth Service Executive, Ireland (National Office for Suicide Prevention)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationCorcoran, P., Reulbach, U., Perry, I. J. and Arensman, E. (2010) 'Suicide and deliberate self harm in older Irish adults’, International Psychogeriatrics, 22(08), pp. 1327-1336. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1041610210001377en
dc.identifier.doi10.1017/S1041610210001377
dc.identifier.endpage1336en
dc.identifier.issn1041-6102
dc.identifier.issn1741-203X
dc.identifier.issued08en
dc.identifier.journaltitleInternational Psychogeriatricsen
dc.identifier.startpage1327en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/2916
dc.identifier.volume22en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherCambridge University Pressen
dc.rights© International Psychogeriatric Association 2010en
dc.subjectSuicideen
dc.subjectUndetermined deathen
dc.subjectDeliberate self harmen
dc.subjectSuicidal behavioren
dc.subjectOlder adultsen
dc.subjectElderly suicideen
dc.subjectIrelanden
dc.subjectParasuicideen
dc.subjectPreventionen
dc.titleSuicide and deliberate self harm in older Irish adultsen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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