Western News: Identifying Suicide Risk in Seniors
Posted 03/12/2010
As Baby Boomers enter their senior years, there is growing concern the golden years will be marred by an increased risk for suicide.
Older adults - who often deal with major life transitions such as declining health, loss of a spouse or social isolation - have high rates of suicide, says Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry assistant professor Marnin Heisel (Psychiatry, Epidemiology and Biostatistics).
His research focuses on the assessment and treatment of depression and suicide risk among older adults, and the related risk and resiliency factors.
“Healthy aging is more than just living disease-free and not being ill,” says Heisel, who spoke recently to a Senior Alumni group. “Something happens with your physical health, there are emotional issues or financial issues; you feel as if your life is being twisted out of shape. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from that. Think of it as an elastic. Those with more resiliency tend to get through life a bit more easier.”
To date, Heisel’s research has contributed to a new measure for identifying suicidal tendencies among older adults (the Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale or GSIS), assessed existing measures of late-life depression and hopelessness, and investigated vulnerability to depression and suicide risk.
In 2008, Heisel, with colleague Sharon Moore from Athabasca University, received the CIHR Institute of Aging Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation and Aging for work with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health on guidelines to assess suicide risk and prevention among older adults.
Heisel, Vice-President of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, has also helped develop a Late Life Suicide Prevention Toolkit for use by health care providers, with 2,000 toolkits distributed to health care professionals and educators.
Heisel estimates by the year 2030 almost 25 percent (75 million people) of the North American population will be 65 years or older. He believes the health care system is not prepared.
In his latest research, Assessing Experienced Meaning in Life, he hopes to get a better understanding of how seniors improve their well-being and resiliency. He has surveyed up to 200 local seniors to learn more about their lives including whether they volunteer, live alone or are religious.
“Meaning (in life) is unique to each individual,” he says. “It is discovered, not created. We are hoping through the study we can increase resiliency in those who don’t have it. If we’re going to live longer, we might as well live full and sustaining lives.”
Early results indicate those who said they were a spiritual person reported more meaning in their lives and had fewer thoughts of suicide. “Meaning is important no matter what, but when we’re feeling bad we need to call on it more,” he says. “We want to know how those with meaning find that meaning, and how we can help enhance this in those who reported less meaning in their lives.”
Heisel is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award winner and is principal investigator on a study (2007-2012) looking at promoting psychological resiliency to late-life depression and suicide risk.
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