Study of scientific publications (2002-2017) on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and self-neglect of elderly people hospitalized in Long-Term Care Establishments

Abstract

This is a study on scientific work on the ideation, suicide attempt and self-neglect of elderly residents in LTCEs from 2002 to 2017. Documents were retrieved from the following sources: BVS/SP, SciELO, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science, with the following descriptors: suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, self-neglect, elderly, long-term care establishment, and their correspondents in Portuguese, Spanish and French. Twenty-six papers on the subject were found. There is a consensus among the authors, whose texts are analyzed here, concerning the factors that lead the elderly to suicidal behavior: depression, illness and pain, complicated and traumatic mourning, anxiety and despair after recovery from depressive episode, poor living conditions, death of close relatives, friends, family conflicts, family history of self-inflicted events. The protection factors found are religiosity, optimistic lifestyle, satisfaction with life and investment in the autonomy and power of relationships and communication and monitored drug therapy for mental disorders such as depression.

Suicidal behavior; The elderly; Long-term care establishments; Risk diagnosis; Protective factors and preventive measures