The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jun 2020
Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, and Attempted Suicide in Older Adults: A National Study of Emergency Department Visits and Follow-Up Care.
Emergency department visits for self-harm and suicidal ideation have increased for US older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine discharge disposition, clinical recognition of mental disorder, and 30-day follow-up mental health outpatient care of older adults treated in emergency departments for suicide attempt (SA), suicidal ideation (SI), or deliberate self-harm (DSH). ⋯ Although most older adults treated in EDs for suicide-related reasons are hospitalized, a substantial proportion of patients discharged back to the community do not receive follow-up mental healthcare within 30 days.