Suicide in Late Life: Challenges and Opportunities for Research

Abstract

Two of the most commonly cited risk factors for suicide are older age and male gender. Among the industrialized countries that provide statistics on suicide, all report that men commit suicide more frequently than women (see Mościcki, this issue). In a majority of those countries, suicide rates rise progressively with age; in all but one, the highest suicide rates occur for men age 75 and older (Table 1; based on countries reporting statistics to the World Health Organization from 1988 to 1991 [WHO, 1990, 1991]). Despite the dramatic effects of gender and age on suicide risk, relatively little attention has been paid to the risk factors for and clinical profiles of late-life suicide. Given the progressive aging of populations around the industrialized world, and assuming that the relationship between older age and suicide will persist, the absolute number of elderly suicides is likely to increase dramatically in coming decades.