Suicide among older adults is an important public health problem, all the more sad because there are ways of successfully treating the risk factors such as depression, isolation and pain that are frequently the cause of suicide among the elderly. Elderly Americans make up about 13 percent of the country's population but account for about 20 percent of all suicides.

The highest rate of suicide is older white men,
but the largest number of suicides is
in the middle to young age range
because obviously there are far more people
alive during that period of time.
So if you look at the numbers
there are more young who take their life,
but if you look at the rates,
the rate is higher among the elderly.
Kay Jamison, psychologist at Johns Hopkins University,
author of several books on mental illness and suicide.

Elderly Suicide Fact Sheet

While the elderly make up only 13% of the population, they account for almost 19% of the suicides. From American Association of Suicidology. http://www.suicidology.org/

At a Glance - Suicide Among the Elderly

Statistics from the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP), http://www.mentalhealth.org/

Suicide is such an issue among the elderly because of isolation, illness, loneliness,
and not seeing family members very often.
We started the Senior Care Line and we have volunteers
that call senior citizens every day, 365 days a year.
We call just to check on them
and give them a chance to talk.
When I started helping them
after going through post-traumatic stress disorder myself,
they made me feel better when I called them.
Joyce Davis, volunteer coordinator of Senior Care Line

Suicide 'Epidemic' Among Japan's Elderly

With its population aging faster than any other country, Japan is faced with a dramatic rise in the number of suicidal and depressed elderly.

Swing Low - a life

Review of book by Miriam Toews.

Links

An Elder Suicide Primer

Elderly Suicide

Suffering Seniors Take Matters into their own Hands