A study of self-harm in older people: Mental disorder, social factors and motives

Abstract

Data was collected on seventy-six older people who presented to a specialist self-harm team. Data included: diagnosis, suicide intent, motives for self-harm, social contacts and life events and difficulties. The majority of elderly who harmed themselves had high suicide intent and 69% were depressed. Patients were frequently living alone with an isolated life-style and poor physical health. Depressed self-harm subjects had higher suicide intent scores than non-depressed and to gain relief from an unbearable state of mind was a frequently recorded motive for these patients. Other motives for self-harm appear to be similar between depressed and non-depressed self-harmers. It is important that older people who self-harm receive an appropriate assessment of both risk and need by an experienced mental-health professional skilled at recognising depression in later life. The need for adequate recognition and management of depression in older people in primary care is also highlighted.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the DSH team and Community Mental Health teams for their help in recruiting patients and Research into Ageing and Help the Aged for their financial support to the project. Dr M. S. Dennis was the recipient of a grant from Research into Aging (project no. 9/164).