Title:Alzheimer's Disease and Suicide: An Integrative Literature Review
Volume: 20
Issue: 11
Author(s): Juliano Flávio Rubatino Rodrigues*, Livia Peregrino Rodrigues and Gerardo Maria de Araújo Filho
Affiliation:
- Faculdade de Medicina de Marília (FAMEMA), Marília, SP, Brazil
- Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto
(FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
- Unimed Bauru Cooperativa de Trabalho Médico, Bauru, SP,
Brazil
Keywords:
Alzheimer's disease, suicide, review, integrative, old people, psychiatry.
Abstract:
Introduction: Suicide has been described in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Some
promising medications for treating Alzheimer's disease have had their studies suspended because
they increase the risk of suicide. Understanding the correlations between suicide and Alzheimer's
disease is essential in an aging world.
Methods: A search was carried out on electronic websites (PubMed and Scielo) using the MeSH
Terms “suicide” and “Alzheimer” (1986-2023). Of a total of 115 articles, 26 were included in this
review.
Results: Depression and the allele ε4 of Apolipoprotein (APOE4) were demonstrated to be the
main risk factors for suicide in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Conclusion: Adequately delineating which elderly people are vulnerable to suicide is important
so that new treatments for Alzheimer's disease can be successful. This review showed a need for
new studies to investigate the interface between Alzheimer's disease and suicide.