Suicide in late life: A viewpoint

Abstract

Suicide in old age represents a sad public health concern. Despite the global decline in rates of suicide and the general amelioration of quality of life and access to health care for older adults, their rates of suicide remain the highest virtually in every part of the world. With the aging of the world population and the growing number of mononuclear families, the risk of an increase in isolation, loneliness and dependency does not appear ungrounded. The Covid-19 pandemic is claiming the life of many older persons and creating unprecedented conditions of distress, particularly for this segment of the population. This article briefly examines the main characteristics of suicidal behavior in late life, including observations deriving from the spread of the Sars-2 coronavirus and possible strategies for prevention.

Does social pension buy improved mental health and mortality outcomes for senior citizens? Evidence from South Africa's 2008 pension reform

“…It was reported that the lifetime prevalence rate of mental ill-health – (depression & traumatic stress) in South Africa was 2.3 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively ( Swain et al, 2017 , Peltzer and Phaswana-Mafuya, 2013 ). These figures are lower than the global average ( De Leo and Giannotti, 2021 ) – characterized by low pension coverage for the elderly population. There is a possibility that the expanding social pension coverage in South Africa is responsible for improving depression & traumatic stress.…”

Suicide mortality among the elderly population in Italy: A nationwide cohort study on gender differences in sociodemographic risk factors, method of suicide, and associated comorbidity

“…Lastly, some degree of misclassification is expected, especially at older ages, 41 as suicide could be misclassified as an “accidental”, “unknown”, or “undetermined” cause of death. Although this misclassification is expected to cause a general underestimation without affecting the comparisons across the characteristics investigated, 42 it should be considered that underreporting could be larger at very old ages, when the prevalence of physical illness is higher than in younger age groups 43 and deaths due to self‐starvation or self‐dehydration could be not counted as suicides 44 …”

Faktor Risiko Dan Pengaruh Kepribadian Pada Bunuh Diri Di Usia Tua

“…Usia yang lebih tua cenderung merencanakan tindakan dengan lebih hati-hati dan mengatur secara detail prosedur yang memiliki kemungkinan besar untuk berhasil. (Leo and Viecelli, 2020) Data menunjukkan bahwa meskipun angka kematian akibat bunuh diri telah menurun sebesar 32,7% dari tahun 1990 hingga 2016, namun angka bunuh diri di kalangan lansia masih tinggi di seluruh dunia. Diperkirakan insiden bunuh diri terjadi pada 27,45 per 100.000 penduduk berusia >70, dan 16,17 orang per 100.000 penduduk pada kelompok usia 50-69 tahun.…”