Subintentioned Life-Threatening Behavior in the Elderly: the Story of Myra (IN: Now I lay me Down: Suicide in the Elderly, edited by D Lester & M Tallmer)

This chapter notes that when a person has an unconscious wish to die, it sometimes manifests itself indirectly; for example, being careless with one’s life or provoking behavior that causes someone to have homicidal feelings toward you. Heart attacks may also fall into this category. This chapter presents the case of Myra, whose ability to function began to fail as her husband’s Alzheimer’s condition progressed. In the author’s opinion, her heart attack was an unconscious suicide attempt.