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Elder suicide: Are you aware of it? Christian
Science Monitor, June 2, 2003 TAMPA,
FLA. – If you ever want to
bring a discussion of serious health issues to a screeching halt, simply utter two
words: elder suicide. I repeatedly experienced this when talking with
fellow students and mental-health professionals during my years in
graduate school and while working as a counselor on hospital psychiatric
units. Although suicide-prevention programs have proliferated in recent
years, almost all attention has been directed at teenagers. This national
focus ignores a basic fact: Seniors have the highest suicide rate of all
age groups. While people aged 65 and older comprise only 13 percent of the
US population, they account for 19 percent of all suicides. The suicide
rate in 1999 among 15- to 24-year-olds was 10.3 per 100,000, while among
the aged it was 15.9 per 100,000 (almost 50 percent above the national
average). This statistic translates into a total 6,000 elder suicides, and
most experts believe the actual, unofficial number is considerably higher. Why has this issue received so little publicity? I believe the
answer lies in our youth-obsessed society's fear of aging. This
contributes to ageism - a belief that the elderly are inferior, and people
to be kept out of sight and mind. As a result, the struggles of older people are given short shrift
in American life. There is also widespread belief that depression - considered the
greatest risk factor for suicide - is a natural part of aging for which
there is no remedy. Certainly there are life circumstances that can hit the elderly
especially hard, such as physical illness, loss of family and friends, and
the need for care. But depression is not linked to aging itself, and most
seriously depressed seniors respond well when their problem is
acknowledged and treated. Yet proper treatment occurs all too rarely. Most general
physicians have little if any training in evaluating suicidal risk among
the elderly. This is significant because research indicates more than 70
percent of seniors who kill themselves see a physician within the
preceding month, and most give verbal or behavioral clues as to their
deadly intentions. Physicians are not alone in this regard. For example, the vast
majority of social workers, who provide half of all mental-health services
in this country, have no specific geriatric training. It is predicted
there will be an acute shortage of specially trained doctors, social
workers, and other health professionals over the coming decades as the
elderly grow to represent an unprecedented proportion of the US
population. Although many Americans view suicide as a taboo subject -
particularly when not concerning teenagers - it will not magically
disappear if ignored. The number of older Americans is expected to double by 2030 - and
unless the issue receives serious attention, suicides can reasonably be
expected to increase accordingly. Here are some suggestions for change: • Increase public-health efforts to raise awareness of elder
suicide. This should include discussion of social, economic, health, and
psychological risk factors that lead to suicide. • Increase the number of health and mental-health professionals
trained to work with seniors. This may require providing incentives such
as scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for those who choose a
geriatric concentration. • Combat the stigma many seniors associate with receiving
mental-health treatment. • Develop and fund community treatment programs for the
elderly. Everyone should be entitled to accessible and affordable
mental-health services. • Most important, the ageism that permeates American culture must end. It is only when everyone is regarded and treated as unique and valuable that suicides will decrease. Regardless of age, people with purposeful lives, good self- esteem, and a supportive environment rarely choose to kill themselves. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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