Suicide of the Elderly (IN: Suicide: Guidelines for Assessment, Management, and Treatment, edited by B Bongar)

Despite attention to youth suicide, the risk of suicide is highest among the aged (65+). 1987 suicide rates for the U.S. population peak in the age group 75-84. Author provides demographic aspects for completed suicide & attempted suicide/parasuicide & looks at short-term, long-term & future trends; examines motivations to suicide among the aged, techniques for suicide prevention & briefly discussses indirect self-destructive behavior, institutionalized elderly adults & postvention. (90 refs.)