Too little, too old, too late: guidance for primary care
practitioners on how to help prevent suicide amongst older
people
27 March
2007
A new resource to assist family doctors in
preventing suicide in older people is now available from the Royal
College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
The RCGP’s Mental Health Group has worked with
Staffordshire University and the Royal College of Nursing to
produce a fact sheet to help primary care practitioners identify
and support older people they suspect may be depressed and even
suicidal.
The sheet ‘Too little, too old, too
late?’ contains key background information and statistics,
ways for primary care doctors and nurses to raise awareness of the
issue and what to look out for during a consultation.
The information is based on a report Older
People and Suicide by Derek Beeston of Staffordshire
University’s Centre for Ageing and Mental Health. The report
concluded that:
- People over 65 are the group most likely to
carry out a threat of suicide in primary care, with almost one in
four attempts resulting in death
- People over the age of 65 are more successful
than any other age group at taking their own lives
- Two thirds of older people who take their own
life have been in touch with a primary care professional in the
weeks before their death
- Depression in older people is treatable and can be successfully
managed
Dr Huw Lloyd, Chair of the RCGP Mental Health
Group, said: “Depression, physical ill health and social isolation
are important markers in identifying older people who may be
suicidal. Primary care practitioners are in a strong position to
address these problems and to offer support.
“We hope that the fact sheet will assist
doctors and nurses in successfully identifying and responding to
at-risk suicidal behaviour in older patients.”
Report author Derek Beeston added: “Although
evidence shows that suicide in older people is reasonably well
understood, what still remains lacking in tackling this tragic
problem is recognition that communities need to take sustained
action to value, support and include older people in all aspects of
life.”
The information sheet can be downloaded from
the RCGP website http://www.rcgp.org.uk/
Ends
For further information
please contact Lorna Fletcher in the RCGP press office 020 7344
3136 / press@rcgp.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The
‘Too little, too old, too late’ fact sheet is the first in a
series produced by the RCGP Mental Health Group aimed at primary
care professionals
- Staffordshire University’s Centre for Ageing
and Mental Health review ‘Older People and Suicide’ can be
downloaded from
http://westmidlands.csip.org.uk/publications/suicide-in-elders-publications.html
- The Royal College of General Practitioners is the largest
membership organisation in the United Kingdom solely for GPs. It
aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general
medical practice and to act as the “voice” of GPs on issues
concerned with education; training; research; and clinical
standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over 27,000 members who
are committed to improving patient care, developing their own
skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.