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Spiritual considerations in suicide and depression among the elderly.

Article Excerpt
Suicide in the elderly is a tragedy and, sadly, is not a rare event. In 2003, 31,484 Americans committed suicide, making it the 11th leading cause of death in the US, and the 18th leading cause of death in the elderly. (1) Rates of completed suicide are highest among older men, for whom we see a steady increase in suicide with increasing age. The suicide rate in the 65 to 69 age group is about 21 per 100,000 and increases to about 32 per 100,000 in men aged 75 to 79. In the oldest group, men 85 and older, the rate skyrockets to nearly 48 per 100,000, more than double the rate for men age 18 to 65 years of age. Firearms play the largest role in completed suicide in this age group; in 2003, over 73% of older adults who killed themselves used firearms. Use of firearms as a means of suicide overshadowed suffocation and poisoning (each at about 10%) and other causes.

Depression is a major risk factor for suicide in the elderly, and the two major trials in suicide prevention in older adults have focused on detecting and treating major depression and dysthymia. (2,3) Major depression and dysthymic disorder affect between 5% and 10% of older adults seen in the primary care...

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