Suicide

Someone age 65 or over completes suicide every 90 minutes — 16 deaths a day. Elders account for one-fifth of all suicides, but only 12% of the population. White males over age 85 complete suicide at almost six times the national average. Elder suicide may be under-reported 40% or more. Omitted are "silent suicides", i.e., deaths from medical noncompliance and overdoses, self-starvation or dehydration, and "accidents." The elderly have a high suicide "success rate" because they use firearms, hanging, and drowning . "Double suicides" involving spouses or partners occur most frequently among the aged. This, according to, An Elder Suicide Primer — An Introduction to a Late Life Tragedy (Tony Salvatore, 1999-2001, www.lifegard.tripod.com/elder.html .)

An Elder Suicide Primer — An Introduction to a Late Life Tragedy is a web site devoted to providing information about elder suicide. Along with facts, figures, and advice, it also contains links to other related sites as well as a comprehensive bibliography.