Suicide in the elderly: characteristics and warning signs

According to sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 800,000 deaths by suicide occur in the world every year. In Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), suicide is the leading cause of unnatural death in Spain, even above traffic accidents.

Therefore, it is necessary to establish a prevention plan to help people who need it, young people being especially vulnerable. (between 14 and 30 years old) and the elderly, the latter being a very vulnerable group and in which the number of cases of suicide.

It is because of that next we will talk about suicide in older people, explaining the risk factors and some prevention guidelines.

Related article: "The 26 types of suicide (according to different criteria)"

Suicide characteristics in older people

Suicide has always been a subject that is rarely discussed, becoming a taboo subject within society, despite the fact that is today the leading cause of unnatural death, beating traffic accidents.

There are some disappointing facts related to suicide in older people, such as the following:

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The number of suicides in older people has increased in recent years.
Among the suicides that occurred in Spain, a high percentage were people over 60 years of age.
In cases of suicide in the elderly, there was a high diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder.
15% of the elderly with depression commit suicide.

The most characteristic factors of suicide in older people are the ones listed below:

They make fewer attempts at self-harm than other young people.
When they intend to commit suicide, they use more lethal methods than young people.
They tend to think carefully and premeditate before committing suicide.
They tend to send fewer warning signals than other younger people.
They may choose a "passive" suicide, ceasing to take care of themselves (they allow themselves to die little by little).

You may be interested in: "Suicidal Thoughts: Causes, Symptoms and Therapy"

Main risk factors for suicide in old age

We will explain below risk factors main causes of suicide in older people, that is, phenomena that are probabilistically associated with this behavior even though they do not have to lead to it or be the main cause.

1. Medical factors

Between medical factors (organic alterations in the functioning of the body) closely associated with a suicide risk in older people, the following stand out:

Disabling, painful, chronic or terminal illnesses.
High frequency of hospitalizations or having to undergo surgery for health reasons frequently.
Having diseases such as Parkinson's, any type of dementia, arteriosclerosis, etc.

2. Psychological factors

Psychological factors play a very important role in the suicide arena in older people, as well as in the rest of the population, highlighting the following psychological conditions:

Having any type of depressive disorder or a Bipolar disorder.
Abusing alcohol and / or any type of drug.
Having some kind of chronic sleep disorder.
Suffer a paranoid delusional psychosis, also having great distrust and agitation.
Suffer psychological confusion
Suffering from a personality disorder that seriously affects your day-to-day life.
Have feelings of worthlessness and / or loneliness, without having tasks that make you feel useful.
Inactivity and / or boredom.
Lack of projects and goals in your life.
Wanting to die because you think life is no longer worth it.
Not having satisfactory social relationships, which can increase your feeling of loneliness.

There are numerous studies that have documented that depression is strongly associated with suicide, being the main risk factor and the most common cause among suicides that have taken place at all ages.

In the case of elderly people, it is more difficult to diagnose depression than in younger people, and it usually presents in older people as depression atypical, so fewer cases of depression have been detected than those estimated to actually exist, so in many cases it is not properly treated and that increases the risk of suicide.

To detect a case of depression in the elderly, by being an atypical form of depression, we must be attentive to different aspects than in younger people, such as the following: apathy or lack of motivation to do things you used to like to do, complaints of feeling lonely and hopeless, more somatic complaints or feeling more pain than usual, there may be less direct verbalization of feeling a vital sadness, so it is more appropriate to detect depression indirectly through this series of complaints.

Related article: "Depression in Old Age: Causes, Detection, Therapy, and Tips"

3. Family factors

Family factors are very important especially at these ages in which the degree of dependence on the rest increases, so they are also risk factors for suicide in older people, highlighting those that we will list below:

Loss of loved ones, especially if it is a child.
Continuous change of place of residence, when your children take turns looking after you and you have to move.
Admission to a residence for the elderly, especially when you do not feel well treated.
Suffering a traumatic event in relation to a family member (p. g., accident of a relative).
To stay widowed.
When the children and grandchildren are not going to visit him.
Spending most of the time alone.
Being abused by a family member or caregiver.

4. Social, environmental and economic factors

Socio-environmental and economic factors also are very relevant in the quality of life of a person, so they can also be risk factors for suicide in older people, highlighting the following:

Being in a bad economic situation, so you cannot cover essential expenses.
Having a poor quality of life, having a lack of basic goods.
Not having a decent home or even sleeping on the street or in shelters.
Not having enough autonomy to do a series of basic tasks.
Feeling that he has lost his dignity by being unable to perform tasks that he used to do.

Covert suicide in older people

Covert suicide is a form of suicide in which It is difficult to tell if the person has died from an accident or if it is actually a suicide.

Numerous cases of covert suicide have been detected in older people, the following forms being the most common in this way of carrying out a suicide.

1. Domestic accidents

There are many cases of death due to a domestic accident that could have been caused intentionally by the elderly person, so it is an undercover suicide and the coroner, having insufficient evidence to demonstrate the cause, could declare a domestic accident as cause of death.

2. Medication overdose

As in the case of domestic accidents, when a death occurs from a drug overdose, it is also very difficult know if it has been the result of an oversight or has done it intentionally in order to produce what can be called suicide covert.

On the other hand, the opposite could arise, and it is that the elderly person intentionally does not take the medication he needs and is neglected in more respects, so this can gradually deteriorate his health, causing him a more premature death than if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and take your medication as directed by your doctor.

3. Drowning

There are studies carried out on various cases of drowning in various countries in which it stands out a large number of cases of suicide by drowning in older people in Japan, also detecting cases in other countries

In all the above cases it is very difficult to show whether the death of the elderly person was caused by a concealed suicide or, instead, the cause of death is a mistake that caused an accident, so in many cases of covert suicide it has been declared that the cause of the Death has been due to an accident, while there have also been cases of death by accident that have been declared as a suicide.

Related article: "Covert suicide: what it is, characteristics and examples"

Suicide prevention in older people

It is important detect a series of aspects and behaviors to prevent suicide in older people, highlighting the following:

Assessment by a doctor or psychologist of the risk of suicide.
Detect symptoms or behaviors that make you suspect depression.
Control and treat as far as possible any painful, chronic or disabling disease.
Make sure the older person sees a mental health specialist if necessary.
Check that the elderly person takes all her medications correctly.
Make sure that the elderly person does not abuse alcohol or any type of medicine.
Ensure that the elderly maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Make sure the elderly person makes regular medical visits and does not miss any medical appointments.
Ensure that the elderly person does not isolate himself, being able to participate in day centers for the elderly.
Make sure that the elderly stay active and carry out activities that they like.
Make sure the older person has an active social life.
Having your family care for and spend time with the older person is a preventive factor.

Warning signs

Watch for these warning signs that can act as risk factors for suicide in older people:

Express verbally that you do not want to live longer.
You are frequently nervous, listless, or unmotivated.
He complains verbally that he is no longer worth anything.
You are more tired than usual.
You are more irritable or restless than usual.
You no longer enjoy doing activities you used to enjoy.
He complains verbally that nobody loves him.
I eat less or more than usual
Complains frequently of stomachaches, headaches, or chronic pain.
He has frequent demands to go to the doctor, and may not suffer from anything.
Cries a lot, sometimes even for no apparent reason.
Self-harm is caused.
Sudden changes in your mood.

It is important to take all these signs seriously and listen to them and even seek professional help.. You have to listen to him and try to understand how he feels, so that he realizes that he is supported by his loved ones.

It is also important that these people do not spend a lot of time alone and make sure they know that we are there for what they need. You also have to be gentle when it comes to scolding them for something they have done wrongly, trying not to raise your voice at them. Older people must be helped to feel valid for themselves.