Watch out for depressive suicides in the sick elderly

  (1) pain syndrome, such as headache, chest pain, back pain, abdominal pain and generalized pain; (2) chest symptoms, chest tightness, palpitations; (3) digestive symptoms, anorexia, stomach and abdominal discomfort, bloating, constipation; (4) autonomic symptoms, dry mouth, hand tremors, sweating, peripheral weakness (4) autonomic symptoms, dry mouth, hand tremors, sweating, body weakness, etc.  (5) Sleep disorder is also a common symptom and often becomes the main complaint of patients.  However, some diseases are not found through various examinations, while others that already exist are found during the examination. Especially, some elderly people with terminal diseases have difficulty facing the examination results and may have adverse emotional reactions or even lightly die. In addition, elderly people suffering from brain infarction, brain atrophy and other diseases do not receive timely treatment, which can easily lead to serious psychological disorders and depression. Over time, it can be dragged into depression, and elderly people suffering from depression are very prone to extreme behavior if they do not receive treatment.  The clinical manifestations of geriatric depression are unique. Typical depression manifestations are not difficult to identify, such as sullenness, sadness, lack of interest, unresponsiveness, lack of speech and movement, weight loss, and pessimism and despair. However, as with many other diseases, there are still many atypical manifestations, especially in old age, which can be misdiagnosed or missed, and even cause serious consequences. According to foreign reports, 55% of cases of elderly people commit suicide in a depressed state.  Once elderly patients are determined to commit suicide, they are often more determined than young and strong patients, and their behavior is more insidious. Especially in the summer, when most elderly people are confined to air conditioning and have little exposure to sunlight because of the heat, the pineal gland, located in the posterior part of the thalamus, produces melatonin. Excessive secretion of melatonin will make the body produce abnormal function of pentraxin, which is often referred to as the “happy element”, its abnormal function will directly or indirectly induce depression.  Depression and suicide are closely related. As a family member, if you can observe and take care of the elderly, you can detect some danger signs of suicide. For example, change in personality, change in habits, negativity and pessimism, self-guilt and self-blame, crying, etc. Once found, we should double the care and seek medical attention early.