Elderly suicide with and without a history of suicidal behavior: Implications for suicide prevention and management

Résumé

This study examined the impact of a history of suicidal behavior on suicide among elderly people in Singapore. In this coroner register-based study, characteristics of 409 elderly people who died of suicide in Singapore between 2000 and 2004 were examined. Sixty-five people were classified with a history of previous suicidal behavior and 344 people without a history of suicidal behavior. Elderly people who died of suicide and had a past history of suicidal behavior were more likely to suffer from major psychiatric disorders (26.2% vs 10.2%