Gender Issues in Counseling the Suicidal Elderly (IN: Now I lay me Down: Suicide in the Elderly, edited by D Lester & M Tallmer)

Interventions with the suicidal elderly are typically formulated in terms of a gender-neutral elderly person or elderly males. However, some experiences of aging are different in men & women. This chapter focuses on gender issues bearing upon the initiation, process, & goals of counselling the suicidal elderly. It reviews gender patterns of suicidal behavior, discusses gender differences & similarities in aging, & addresses potential gender biases in the counselling process. (77 Refs.)