• Jon J Pfaff and Osvaldo P Almeida.
• School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia. jjpfaff@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
• Br J Gen Pract. 2005 Apr 1; 55 (513): 269273269-73.

BackgroundGPs are the most frequently accessed health professional among suicidal individuals in the community.AimTo determine the prevalence of psychological distress and suicidal ideation among patients aged 60 years and older presenting to GPs, and the relationship between these variables in detecting patients who may be contemplating suicide.Design Of StudyCross-sectional analysis of older patients presenting to Australian GPs between 2002 and 2003.SettingOne thousand and sixty-one consecutive patients aged 60 years or over attending one of 54 randomly selected Western Australian GPs.MethodPrior to their medical consultation, patients completed a self-report questionnaire, which included questions about current suicidal ideation (Depressive Symptom Inventory Suicidality Subscale [DSI-SS]) and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]). Patients' chief complaints were obtained from consultation summary sheets completed by their GP.ResultsAlthough only 5.1% of patients presented with psychological complaints, 5.8% acknowledged current suicidal ideation and 23.8% had clinically significant levels of depressive symptomatology. Suicidal ideation was associated with CES-D scores greater than 16 (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5 to 8.9), feelings of depression (OR = 7.7, 95% CI = 3.4 to 17.7), and previous suicide attempt (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 2.7 to 20.2) in a logistic regression model, but not with poor self-perceived health, use of licit drugs (smoking, alcohol, and hypnotics), or type of presenting complaint at the time of assessment.ConclusionsAlthough older general practice patients tend to present for issues related to their physical health, approximately a quarter of this cohort also possess high levels of psychological distress, including current thoughts of suicide. Older patients who show any signs of depression or distress should be asked about psychological symptoms, including suicidal ideation.

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