Young and Old: Populations at Greatest Risk of Suicide
Isn’t it ironic how we feel about age? When you’re young, you can’t wait to be older so you have more freedom to do what you want. When you’re old, you often wish you could just be young again. The fact is, however, that both populations – young and old – have one thing in common: they’re at the greatest risk of suicide.
Emotional distress may have a lot to do with it, along with physical disabilities or conditions, substance abuse, and other factors. We’ll look more in depth at some of the causes of suicide among the young and the old in a minute, but first, let’s examine some statistics.
Statistics on Suicide and Older Adults
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau issues updated estimates of the total population of the United States. As of July 1, 2008, there were an estimated 39 million Americans aged 65 and older, or 13 percent of the total U.S. population of 304 million. Those aged 60 or over totaled 54 million, or 18 percent of the population.
A profile of older Americans for 2008 by the Administration on Aging (AOA) shows that:
• About 30 percent (10.9 million) of noninstitutionalized older people live alone (7.9 million women and 2.9 million men)
• Half of women (49 percent) age 75 and older live alone
• Persons reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 19 years (20.3 years for females and 17.4 years for males)
• The population age 65 and older will increase from 35 million in 2000 to 40 million in 2010 (a 15 percent increase) and to 55 million in 2020 (a 36 percent increase for the decade)
• About 3.6 million elderly persons (9.7 percent) in 2007 were below the poverty level – a statistically significant increase from the 2006 poverty rate of 9.4 percent
Statistics released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), reveal the following alarming points:
• Suicide accounts for twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS
• Suicide has been among the 10 leading causes of death since 1975
• Firearms are the most common method of suicide, used in about 6 of every 10 suicides
• In the month prior to their suicides, 75 percent of elderly persons visited a physician
• Suicide rates remain the highest among Americans aged 65 and older
• Males are four times more likely to die from suicide than females
• There is an average of one suicide among the elderly every 90 minutes
Statistics on Suicide and Adolescents and Young Adults
A fact sheet released in 2006 by the National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC) shows that:
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death (behind accidents and homicides) among adolescents and young adults (ages 10 through 24)
• Young males are more likely than their female peers to commit suicide – averaging more than five times the rate of same-age females
• The highest suicide rate exists among American Indian/Alaskan Native male adolescents
• The suicide rates for young adult males have fallen dramatically in the past decade
• Female adolescents are more likely to attempt suicide than their male adolescent peers – reporting sad feelings, suicidal thoughts and attempts twice as many times as their male counterparts
A brochure available from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), “Let’s Talk Facts About Teen Suicide” points out that among young people aged 15 to 24:
• Fifty-three percent of young people who commit suicide abuse substances
• Depression increases the risk of a first suicide attempt by at least 14-fold
• Over half of all kids suffering from depression will attempt suicide at least once, and more than 7 percent will die
• Firearms are used in a little more than half of all suicides
Depression – What is it?
According to a brochure on depression from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), depression is a serious mental illness that negatively affects the way you feel, how you think, and how you act. Depression is characterized by a feeling of deep sadness or a marked loss of interest or pleasure in activities.
Other symptoms of depression include sudden loss of appetite or significant weight loss unrelated to dieting, insomnia or oversleeping, increased fatigue or loss of energy, irritability or restlessness, inappropriate feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty making decisions, thinking or concentrating, and thoughts of death or attempts at suicide.
The APA says that depression occurs to nearly one in 10 adults each year. It affects twice as many women as men. On average, depression first appears in the late teens to mid-20s, and is also common in older adults.
Risk Factors for Suicide
Whether young or old, risk factors for suicide include the following:
• Previous suicide attempts – If a person has tried to commit suicide before, they are at greater risk of trying to do so again.
• Psychiatric diagnosis – According to suicide prevention experts, any psychiatric diagnosis elevates the risk of suicide. Some psychiatric diagnoses, however, pose an even greater risk. These include depression, bipolar disorder substance use disorder, personality disorder, and co-occurring disorder (more than one at the same time).
• Family history – Any individual with a family history of suicide attempts or completed suicide is at a higher risk of suicide.
• Suicidal thoughts – Especially when the occurrence is sudden, any increase in suicidal thoughts is a cause for alarm. Most suicides occur within one year of the first thoughts about committing suicide.
• Significant loss or stressful event – Loss of a job, foreclosure, death of a loved one, financial disaster, or divorce may precipitate a suicide attempt. Many individuals who attempted suicide reported a loss or stressful event immediately prior to their attempt.
• Access to firearms – Since firearms are the most common suicide method, access to firearms significantly increases risk of suicide.
• Feelings of hopelessness – When a person feels completely hopeless, their thoughts may quickly turn to suicide as the only way out.
• Making a suicide plan – While putting down thoughts of suicide on paper or planning how to carry out a suicide attempt does not necessarily mean the person will actually commit suicide, it’s an indication that something is seriously wrong. If nothing else, it could signal that a suicide attempt is imminent.
• Incarceration – An individual facing jail time or who is serving time is at increased risk of suicide.
• Recent celebrity or other suicides – Suicide researchers have documented this phenomenon extensively. When celebrities commit suicide, or a friend, loved one or acquaintance does so, some individuals commit suicide themselves. This is known as “suicide by contagion” or “copycat suicide.”
In addition, there are some specific suicide signals that pertain to young people. These include frequent episodes of running away or incarceration, family instability or significant problems with parents, difficulties dealing with sexual orientation, unplanned pregnancy, impulsive and aggressive behavior or frequent expressions of rage. Other suicide signals among young people include substance abuse, withdrawal from friends and family, sudden drop in academic performance, giving away personal possessions, no interest in activities that once were pleasurable, talk of death or the afterlife when sad or bored.
Suicide and the Elderly
According to the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, the risk factors for suicide among the elderly differ from those among the young. Depression has a much higher prevalence among the elderly. They are often isolated socially and frequently use highly lethal methods. Older persons make fewer attempts per completed suicide, have a higher male-to-female ratio than other groups, have more physical illnesses, and have recently visited a physician or health-care provider prior to attempting suicide.
The three most common suicide methods among the elderly are firearms (71 percent), overdose by means of liquids, pills or gas (11 percent), and suffocation (11 percent).
Factors relative to the population of those over 65 that play a role in future suicide rates include: increase in numbers of elderly population, status of health, availability of services, and overall attitudes about aging and suicide. Media accounts of terminally ill patients wanting an assisted suicide or op-ed pieces about the morality of helping a seriously ill person to die further add to the growing belief that ending one’s life by suicide may be an acceptable choice.
What Can Be Done?
Anyone, young or old, who exhibits signs of suicidal thoughts or behavior, or who has one or more risk factors for suicide, needs help. Parents, friends, teachers, loved ones, coworkers and others should take the initiative and try to get help for the person who is troubled. If they will talk, listen to what they have to say. Allow them to discuss their feelings of sadness or hopelessness, or the problems that are causing them so much emotional pain.
The American Psychiatric Association counsels that you should always take the concerns seriously when someone indicates they’re going to commit suicide, that they’d be better off dead, that others would be happier if they were gone. Don’t be afraid to question the individual about what they have planned. You can’t help prevent their suicide attempt if you don’t know what they plan to do – or if you do nothing. They need to know that you care, and that they are not alone. Do not leave the person alone to work things out. Strongly encourage them to seek professional help, but if you feel they are not likely to do so, or if you need immediate help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
Someone who is contemplating suicide as the only way out needs to be reassured that depression and tendencies toward wanting to commit suicide are very treatable. You can find help for the individual through family physicians, local mental health associations, hospital department of psychiatry, family/social services agency, community mental health center, county medical society, or mood disorders program that’s affiliated with a university or medical school. Treatment may involve medication to stabilize depression or other mental and/or physical condition, talk therapy, or a combination of medication and counseling.
Be There to Help
More than anything, the person who is contemplating suicide needs the intervention of someone who cares. You need to be ready to listen and to act, without any thought of not wanting to get involved. Everyone has times in their life when things may seem too much to bear. We’ve all been there, whether it’s the loss of a parent or loved one, some unforeseen tragedy, our own stupidity, selfishness, greed or immersion in substance abuse, criminal activity or a physical or mental condition that renders us incapable of thinking clearly and rationally about our options. Sometimes we need help, too. Your compassion and action in a time of desperate need may mean the difference between life and death. Be there to help those at greatest risk of suicide – the young and the old. But be there for anyone who has reached such a point of despair. Be there to help.
Remember that giving the gift of life is one of the greatest services we can perform. And another point to remember is that sometimes just being willing to listen and to help is enough to turn that suicidal thought or contemplated action around. The test of time works well. If you can get the individual to see beyond the immediate sadness or hopelessness and get him or her into professional treatment, the crisis may well be averted. At the very least, you will have been successful in thwarting the current suicide attempt. Is this too much of a burden? Wouldn’t you want the same human kindness extended to you and/or your loved ones in a time of similar need?
Additional Resources
More information on suicide prevention is available from the following:
· National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
· National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Locator
· National Alliance on Mental Illness
· Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA)
· Teens Health (Nemours)
· Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Tags: suicide
