Journal of Korean Geriatric Psychiatry

노인정신의학

pISSN 1226-6329 / eISSN 2733-4600


노인정신의학

대한노인정신의학회 (5권2호 120-133)

Neurobiology of Suicide in the Elderly

노인 자살의 신경생물학

정희연(Hee Yeon Jung)

Abstract

Older persons are ant higher risk for suicide than any other groups of the population. Recently, it has been suggested that, in addition to the psychological and sociocultural factors, the neurobiological determinants also might play an important role in increasing the risk of suicide in late-life. For explaining such a high suicidal risk, the neurochemical changes in-volved aging, and the biologic abnormalities of the psychiatric illnesses associated with suicidal ideation and suicide itself. Although research on elderly suicide continues to grow, there rem-ains limited knowledge oh the biologic changes that increase risk for suicide in old age. In this article, the biologic changes in the central nervous system occurring with normal aging process were reviewed and then, a few findings from the neurobiological studies on elderly suicides were discussed.

Keywords

자살,노화,신경생물학, Suicide,Aging,Neurobiology