Older Adults: Depression and Suicide Facts Older Americans are disproportionately likely to die by suicide. Although they comprise only 12 percent of the U.S. population, people age 65 and older accounted for 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004. 14.3 of every 100,000 people age 65 and older died by suicide in 2004, higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population. Non-Hispanic white men age 85 and older were most likely to die by suicide. They had a rate of 49.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 persons in that age group. Depressive disorder is not a normal part of aging. Emotional experiences of sadness, grief, response to loss, and temporary “blue” moods are normal. Persistent depression that interferes significantly with ability to function is not. IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS AND NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY:
Call this toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, every day: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service available to anyone.
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I don't believe that Americans are the only people guilty of neglecting their senior citizens, but I do agree that robbing our older adults of their dignity and leaving them hopeless, to the point of depression and suicide, is shameful. If you take a look at the way many of our seniors are warehoused in nursing homes, waiting to die, you can easily understand why many people opt out of this fate by committing suicide.
On a positive note, there are people working to improve the quality of life of the elderly, helping to keep them in their own homes (where they are happy) yet still monitor their health via technology and homecare services. Also, those who can afford higher quality nursing homes and retirement centers are less likely to suffer the indignities and isolation that create despair and death wishes. We all need to do whatever we can to promote the mental and physical well-being of our seniors; like it or not, we are following in their footsteps.
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