Medscape (3/22, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Older patients recently diagnosed with dementia are at a significantly increased risk for suicide compared to their peers without dementia,” investigators concluded after using “Medicare claims linked to the National Death Index. The researchers collected data on adults aged 65 years and older who received a dementia diagnosis within the previous year.” The study revealed that people “who were diagnosed with dementia had a 54% increased risk for suicide within the first year after diagnosis,” with “the risk…particularly high among those aged 74 years and younger.” The findings were presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2021 virtual meeting.
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