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Completed Suicide at Age 50 and Over
Author(s) -
Conwell Yeates,
Rotenberg Melanie,
Caine Eric D.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1990.tb01422.x
Subject(s) - medicine , suicide prevention , poison control , injury prevention , psychiatry , occupational safety and health , population , suicide methods , intervention (counseling) , human factors and ergonomics , gerontology , demography , medical emergency , environmental health , suicide rates , pathology , sociology
The authors present data abstracted from medical examiners' investigative reports of 246 completed suicides of persons over the age of 50 years classified into four age groups. The sample population conformed to epidemiologic studies with regard to sex distribution. With increasing age, more suicide victims were widowed, and significantly fewer were single, separated, or divorced. Violent methods of suicide were more prevalent and alcohol use and psychiatric histories less common with aging. Physical illness and loss became the most common definable precipitants to suicide, whereas job, financial, and family relationship problems became less frequent with increasing age. The indications for future research and intervention in primary care settings are discussed.