TY - JOUR
T1 - Anticipated suicidal and death ideation in response to an imagined dementia diagnosis
T2 - A qualitative study
AU - Maxfield, Molly
AU - Peckham, Allie
AU - James, Dara L.
AU - Lathrop, Laura
AU - Fiske, Amy
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a grant from the Colorado Springs organization, Angels Against Alzheimer’s. The first author’s time was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (AG052820).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are prevalent, highly impactful, and feared diagnoses. A mixed methods study using semi-structured interviews was conducted to clarify causes of dementia-related anxiety. Fifty community-dwelling adults aged 58 to 89 (M = 70.92, SD = 6.08) were recruited from a university participant registry and Memory Clinic; none had dementia diagnoses. Analyses revealed that 42% (n = 21) of participants anticipated suicidal or death ideation if diagnosed with dementia. Among participants endorsing anticipated suicidal or death ideation, responses ranged from active, specific plans, including interest in physician-assisted suicide, to more passive wishes to hasten death rather than continue to live with dementia. Within reports of both anticipated suicidal and death ideation, three subthemes emerged. Participants reported concerns about becoming a burden to others, the devaluation of life/loss of self with dementia, and the desire for (and anticipated thwarting of) personal control as factors contributing to their anticipated responses to a dementia diagnosis. Statements of anticipated suicidal and death ideation were contingent on a dementia diagnosis and may reflect errors in affective forecasting. Nevertheless, given the prevalence of dementias and older adults’ elevated rates of suicide, the intersection of these two public health issues warrants greater attention.
AB - Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are prevalent, highly impactful, and feared diagnoses. A mixed methods study using semi-structured interviews was conducted to clarify causes of dementia-related anxiety. Fifty community-dwelling adults aged 58 to 89 (M = 70.92, SD = 6.08) were recruited from a university participant registry and Memory Clinic; none had dementia diagnoses. Analyses revealed that 42% (n = 21) of participants anticipated suicidal or death ideation if diagnosed with dementia. Among participants endorsing anticipated suicidal or death ideation, responses ranged from active, specific plans, including interest in physician-assisted suicide, to more passive wishes to hasten death rather than continue to live with dementia. Within reports of both anticipated suicidal and death ideation, three subthemes emerged. Participants reported concerns about becoming a burden to others, the devaluation of life/loss of self with dementia, and the desire for (and anticipated thwarting of) personal control as factors contributing to their anticipated responses to a dementia diagnosis. Statements of anticipated suicidal and death ideation were contingent on a dementia diagnosis and may reflect errors in affective forecasting. Nevertheless, given the prevalence of dementias and older adults’ elevated rates of suicide, the intersection of these two public health issues warrants greater attention.
KW - alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
KW - anticipated death ideation
KW - anticipated suicidal ideation
KW - diagnosis
KW - qualitative methods
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U2 - 10.1177/14713012231171490
DO - 10.1177/14713012231171490
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85153600451
SN - 1471-3012
JO - Dementia
JF - Dementia
ER -