Elder Suicide broadens your understanding of a tragic and extremely complex problem in our society: suicide among the elderly. This book explores -• Epidemiological trends Special risk factors and warning signs Assessment and intervention Sociological, psychological, biological, and other theories of suicide Research needsThis volume also offers thought-provoking discussions of the ethical and philosophical issues raised by elder suicide -issues every practitioner must face.

The elderly have the highest suicide rate in the United States. In partial explanation of this finding, a common statement in the suicide literature is that older persons tend to use more drastic and effective methods of suicide. However, little, if any, data have been presented in defense of this explanation. In order to investigate the validity of this contention, annual official statistics for specific methods of suicide (firearms, hanging, poisons) by age for different sex and racial groups (whites, blacks, nonwhites excluding black) were examined from 1960 to 1978. Comparisons among the age-sex-race groups, along with trends over time and differences in the methods employed, were noted. For white males, blacks of both sexes, and nonwhites excluding black females, the findings confirmed the use of more violent methods by the elderly than by the young in terms of the proportion of suicides by firearms and/or hanging. Less support and, in fact, opposite results for method-related age differences were obtained for white females and nonwhites excluding black males. Another general finding was an increase in the use of firearms for most of the groups studied. The need for data for specific groups within the nonwhite category excluding blacks is apparent both from the available literature and from the present findings. Possible explanations and implications of the observed results are discussed.

Suicide rates vary greatly by sex and race but the methods employed by these groups and changes in those methods have been studied neither closely nor systematically across time. In the present study annual official national statistics for specific methods of suicide by sex and racial group from 1923 to 1978 were examined. During this time period shifts were found among groups in the proportions of various suicide methods employed, most notably for women and Asian-Americans. Generally, firearm use increased among nearly all ethnic/racial-sex groups while the use of poisons declined. Although women continue to be more likely than men to kill themselves with solid and liquid poisons, in very recent years firearms have become a more common method. Among Japanese- and Chinese-Americans of both sexes the most frequently employed method has been hanging. Although this is still the case, the proportions have declined over time while the use of firearms has increased. Explanations are offered for the noted changes in method choice with particular attention being given to acculturation and changing societal roles.

It is worthwhile after a major meeting such as the Older Boulder Conference to reflect on what was accomplished and to what degree the initial goals were realized.The historical background of the meeting is referred to in the introduction by Storandt, in the preface, and, to some degree, in the conference report.The conference started and ended on an enthusiastic but serious and hard-working note.Considerable relief and satisfaction was expressed in a job well done in difficult and uncertain times.Frequently, comments were made that much was learned and that there was a new appreciation for problems relating to education, research, and services as they apply to aging and the aged.There were also many spontaneous promises of new and renewed efforts to develop courses, programs, and educational opportunities in geropsychology.

This study explored the relationship between scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and perceptions and interpretations of interpersonal interactions. It compared 20 elderly females and 20 young females on the dimensions of loneliness, chronic loneliness, and negativeness of interpretation. No significant age differences were found, but a highly significant relationship was obtained among loneliness, chronic loneliness, and negative interpretations of interpersonal interactions. When the time elapsed since the occurrence of loneliness was taken into consideration, the correlation became even stronger. The relationship between loneliness scores and negative interpretations held true for interactions with a family member, neighbor, and authority figure. An inverse relationship was obtained between education and loneliness and between education and negativeness of interpretation. A developmental perspective of friendship and intimacy was proposed to explain severe or chronic loneliness.