Suicide Among the Elderly: A Review of Issues with Case Studies

While suicide attempts are most often a phenomenon of the young, suicide completions reach their peak in old age. An attempt usually has more serious consequences, & is more predictive of successful completion in one or two years than in the young. The authors present two typical “case histories” of successful suicides that illustrate the factors precipitating self destructive behavior among the aged. Measures for finding & dealing with the suicidal elderly are suggested.(NBB)