Half of the elderly in nursing homes in Australia suffer from depression and face life pressure.

Australia attracts many immigrants because of its rich welfare. However, according to a survey, between 2000 and 20 13 years, 140 Australians committed suicide in nursing homes, and nearly 70% of those who committed suicide in nursing homes were men. Get to know me together.

The article is excerpted as follows:

This survey is the first survey of suicide cases and patterns in nursing homes in Australia, and it is also the largest of its kind in the world. The results were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

The survey found that nearly 70% of people who committed suicide in nursing homes were men; 66% was diagnosed as depression; Nearly 80% have experienced one or more major life stress problems, such as health deterioration; About 43% experienced loneliness; Nearly 30% people have difficulty adapting to the life in nursing homes. Among them, the older people living in nursing homes are at greater risk of suicide.

There are 6.5438+0.7 million elderly people living in 2,700 nursing homes in Australia, which is equivalent to 6% of the elderly aged 65 and over. Although suicide is the main cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29; But in many countries, the suicide rate of people over 65 is the highest among all age groups. In nursing homes, about 50% of the elderly suffer from depression, while the depression rate of the elderly living in the community is only 10% to 15%. The latter data shows that depression is not a common phenomenon among the elderly.

Briony Murphy, a doctoral student in epidemiology and forensic medicine at Monash University, and Joseph Ibrahim, a professor of health law and elderly research group, believe that although it is difficult to determine whether these elderly people suffer from depression before or after moving in, and depression does not necessarily lead to suicide, the government should deal with this problem from a policy perspective.

They believe that the Australian government should focus on improving mental health services and strengthening the identification of suicide risks of the elderly, so as to formulate suicide prevention strategies within the framework of national suicide prevention. They went on to say that at the level of nursing homes, managers must evaluate the depression and suicidal thoughts of the elderly before moving in, and follow up those residents who show signs of depression and can't adapt to the living environment.

They also said that family and friends should keep in touch with the elderly living in nursing homes and make them feel valuable. If the elderly feel sad, they should seek professional evaluation and treatment.