Alternatives to Suicide (IN: Now I lay me Down: Suicide in the Elderly, edited by D Lester & M Tallmer)

This chapter proposes a general model that can be applied tothe suicidogenic contexts of the elderly. Cases illustrate alternatives to suicide in the contexts of health & body integrity, &, isolation & loneliness. Other suicidogenic contexts include loss of control, flunking life’s exam, & lifting the burder from others. Other alternatives include symbolic-substitute actions, externalizing the evil, rest & recentering, separating fact from fancy, & fulfilling underlying values. (22 Refs.)