Completed suicide at age 50 and over
Abstract
The authors present data abstracted from medical examiners' investigative reports of 246 completed suicides of persons over the age of 50 years classified into four age groups. The sample population conformed to epidemiologic studies with regard to sex distribution. With increasing age, more suicide victims were widowed, and significantly fewer were single, separated, or divorced. Violent methods of suicide were more prevalent and alcohol use and psychiatric histories less common with aging. Physical illness and loss became the most common definable precipitants to suicide, whereas job, financial, and family relationship problems became less frequent with increasing age. The indications for future research and intervention in primary care settings are discussed.
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In the U.S., up to 75% of older adults die as a consequence of their first suicidal act.
“in the U.S., up to 75% of older adults die as a consequence of their first suicidal act [5]”
From A systematic review of social factors and suicidal behavior in older adulthood (2012) · cites this paper as [5]
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- Authors
- Conwell, Y., Rotenberg, M., & Caine, E. D.
- Affiliations
- National Institute of Mental Health (US)
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Conwell, Yeates
- Venue
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1990-06
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 640-644
- ISSN
- 0002-8614 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-5415
- OpenAlex
- W2092611905
- Cited by
- 204
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 6.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (K07-MH00748, MH 40381, K07MH000748)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Keywords
- suicide mortality, older adults, suicide methods, marital status, alcohol consumption, psychiatric history, physical illness, loss, family relationship problems, suicide prevention, primary care
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aging, Ethanol, Alcoholism, Mental Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Retrospective Studies, Suicide, Prevalence
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