The increasing elderly population in Slovenia and globally has led to a rise in the risk of suicide, making suicidality an important issue in gerontopsychiatry. In order to implement preventive measures, it is crucial to identify specific risk factors for this patient population. In this review article we focus on current scientific research that has found a link between cognitive decline and suicide, which is an important but under-discussed issue to date in geriatrics. We specifically aim to assess whether cognitive decline acts as a risk factor or possibly a protective factor for suicidal behaviour. Additionally, we explore and highlight the significance of the timing of dementia diagnosis and the age of affected individuals, as well as the impact of psychiatric comorbidities. The risk of suicide appears to be higher in younger age groups and in the presence of a recent diagnosis of dementia, but remains significant even in advanced stages of dementia. According to the different subtypes of dementia, in addition to Alzheimer's, the risk appears to be markedly increased in the frontotemporal subtype. We also try to provide intervention proposals at multiple levels of healthcare and suggest directions for further research, particularly within the context of Slovenia.
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