Warning Signs of Elderly Suicide and Factors Affecting Professional Help-Seeking
Case of Sri Lanka
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19000555 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susantha Rasnayake (University of Peradeniya, corresponding author), Pavel Navrátil (0000-0002-1619-0967, Masaryk University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2022-07-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Population and Social Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2465-4418 • E-ISSN: 2465-4418 |
| Publisher | Institute for Population and Social Research (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.25133/jpssv312023.001 |
| OpenAlex | W4285009026 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
Though the suicide rate is remarkably high among older persons in many countries, seeking external assistance in dealing with suicidality is infrequent. Against this background, the objectives of this paper are twofold: to identify possible depressive signs and suicide warnings exhibited by older people before the act of suicide, and to examine the factors affecting the help-seeking behavior of older people who die by suicide. The study revealed that angry outbursts, sleep disturbance, isolation, reduced speaking, and thoughts of the meaninglessness of life are the significant possible signs of depression. However, only a few older persons directly expressed early warnings such as ‘talking about death or suicide.’ Yet, it seems that family members are unaware of the early warning signs. The study found four significant factors that limit the help-seeking behavior of older people dealing with suicidality: a weak social network, poor understanding of depressive and suicidal signs by family members, negative attitudes relating to old age culture, and a crisis of personal perspectives in help-seeking. We conclude that promoting mental health services to older persons and improving their help-seeking behavior in response to various life stressors would help prevent suicide in the older population
Environmental health · Help-seeking · Medical emergency · Mental health · Poison control · Population · Psychiatry · Social isolation · Stressor · Suicide prevention · Warning signs · Clinical Psychology · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Medusa's Hair
Conceptual measurement framework for help-seeking for mental health problems
Main predictions of the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicidal behavior
Evaluating factors and interventions that influence help-seeking and mental health service utilization among suicidal individuals
Social relations and life satisfaction
Loneliness, depression and sociability in old age
Suicide and Youth
Age differences in mental health literacy
Youth perceptions of suicide and help-seeking
Social Work Theories in Context Creating frameworks for Practice
Attempting suicide and help-seeking behaviours
Capabilities and well-being of child and adolescent social services clients in the Czech Republic
Social Well-Being
Activating People to Address Their Health Care Needs
Sociological dimensions of illness behavior
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |