Depression and suicide are two causes of death that are increasing in prevalence for all age groups. They are also on the rise in a specific age group, that of older adults. The theory behind this finding that older adults are becoming more and more depressed and committing suicide at a greater rate than ever before is due to their failing physical and mental health. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon and prove this theory by gathering statistics about suicide in older adults, and by obtaining the information of scholarly sources by summarizing their views as it relates to the above mentioned theory.
Official suicide statistics identify older adults as a high-risk group (Mireault & Deman, 1996). In 1992, it was reported that older adults comprised about 13% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 20% of its suicides; in contrast, young people, ages 15-24, comprised about 14% of the population and accounted for 15% of the suicides (Miller, Segal, & Coolidge, 2001). Among older persons, there are between two to four suicide attempts for every completed attempt (Miller, Segal, & Coolidge, 2001). However, the suicide completion rate of older adults is 50% higher than the population as a whole. This is because older adults who attempt suicide die from the attempt more often than any other age group. Not only do elders kill themselves at a greater rate than any other group in society, but they tend to be more determined and purposeful (Weaver & Koenig, 2001).
Studies of Depression and Suicide in Older Adults
Depression in Older Adults
A study was conducted examining the relationships between disease severity, functional impairment, and depression among a sample of older adults with age-related macular degeneration. It showed that the relationship between visual acuity and physical function was moderated by depressive symptoms (Casten, Rovner, & Edmonds, 2002). It appears that when faced with vision loss, depressed persons tend to generalize their disability to activities that are not necessarily vision dependent. They seem to adopt the attitude of not being able to see leads to not being able to do. This attitude is in line with the cognitive theory of depression in which depressed persons engage in faulty information processing (Casten, Rovner, & Edmonds, 2002).
Suicide in Older Adults
A study about older adult suicide was c...
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... adults, reasons for depression in older adults, reasons for suicide in older adults, and included studies on depression and suicide in older adults. A review of suicide notes from older adults was also conducted. It was found that the theory to be corroborated was successful. It is true, based on the findings from the above mentioned sources, that depression and suicide are increasing in prevalence among older adults due to their failing physical and mental health. There are several aspects to physical and mental health, however they appear to be the main causes for the increase in depression and suicide among older adults.
Reasons for depression among older adults briefly include anxiety, cognitive dysfunction, genetic factors, interpersonal relations, and stressful life events. Reasons for suicide among older adults can be briefly summarized by physical and psychiatric illnesses, unbearable psychological pain, cognitive construction, indirect expressions, inability to adjust, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, alcohol abuse, identification-egression, visual impairment, neurological disorders, malignant disease cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disorders.
Certain practical issues need to be considered by the clinician during the assessment of MDD, (Dozois & Dobson, 2009). Depressed individuals tend to express their problems in a detailed manner when they are aware of what is expected from them during initial phase of assessment. Warning depressed clients about the possible interruptions at the initial phase along with providing them rationale helps to improve the effectiveness of the assessment (Dozois & Dobson, 2009). As depressed individuals tend to commit cognitive bias (Dozois & Beck, 2008), it is necessary to determine the actual impairment by evaluating patient’s daily routine in terms of different areas of functioning. Each diagnostic criteria needs to be addressed in number of ways (Shea, 1988). Sometimes, the patient describe their symptoms in more idiosyncratic way. So, the clinician needs to translate those concerns in to the nosological system (Dozois & Dobson, 2009). Bolland & Keller (2009) emphasize the need to assess the number of previous episodes and their duration because this information is one the predictor for risk of subsequent relapse (Solomon et al, 2000). Dozois & Dobson (2009) have reported to rely upon information related to previous episode carefully as the client may commit the reporting bias. The reporting bias can be reduced by ensuring that the patient understands the time frame to which he or she refers (Dozois & Dobson, 2009) and providing contextual cues to the patient’s memory (Shea, 1988). The information related to previous treatments, medical history, patient’s motivation for change, etc. may help in identifying resources for change (Dozois & Dobson, 2009). It is also helpful to assess client’s strengths which will help in formulating...
There have been many instances of suicide that have occurred in the past years at universities across the country, and since it is such a sensitive subject, there have not been nearly enough coverage as this topic deserves, considering this issue does not seem to be going away. When collecting data about suicide statistics, the age range is broken down as people ages 15-24, which spans most developmental years. Within this bracket are college-age students and this age-group has by far the most troubling statistics around it.
Depression affects approximately 5% of the population at any one time, with depressive symptoms being more common in people over 65, with prevalence estimates ranging from 10 to 15% (Baldwin, 1995). Depression in nursing homes has been recognized as especially problematic states Ames, (1994). Depression is not a normal consequence of aging, and it is known to be under-recognized and under-treated, especially in hospitals, outpatient settings, and nursing homes. (Patry, 2004).
In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicid...
Depression is a common mental disorder that affects approximately 350 million people worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2014). At its worst, depression may lead to suicide, with an approximate 1 million deaths per year (WHO, 2014). Since depression is a mood disorder, it can affect many aspects of health, and it may prevent older adults from enjoying life (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Older adults living with depression may suffer from sleep disturbances, aches and pains, fatigue, and changes in weight...
Suicide is a very tragic life event for the victim, victim’s friends and family members and to society as a whole. We often hear about suicide deaths that occur in younger and middle-aged adults in the media but rarely is such attention given to elderly suicide (65 and older). In the United States there is a higher rate of suicide amongst the elderly than in any other part of the population. There are many factors to this problem, however depression among the elderly was recorded as the major contributing factor that lead them to suicide. Every elderly that committed suicide was reported to have been depressed. Understanding the contributing factors that lead to depression amongst the elderly might shed light on the issue. Many studies have shown that depression coupled with risk factors increase tendency of suicide ideation among the elderly. Risk factors such as chronic illness, pain, physical and mental disabilities, isolation, loneliness, role change (retirement), lack of financial security and social support, bereavement, alcohol abuse, hopelessness and dependability have been pointed out as major contributing factors for the high number of depression experienced by the elderly. Society has identified depression and suicides among the elderly are a social problem, but little have been done to educate the public.
More specifically, the transitions associated with later life like retirement, medical problems, death of a loved ones, reduced social networks leads to depression in aging population (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009). It is seen that depression is one of the most common mental disorder among adults aged 65 and older (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).Depression is associated with anxiety and suffering that can lead to physical, mental, and social impairments. The presence of depressive disorders often negatively impact the course and complicates the treatment of other chronic diseases too (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2009).According to National Alliance of Mental Illness there are more than two million of the 40 million Americans age 65 and older who suffer from some form of depression (National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 2009).
There are multiple reasons why a person becomes depressed and suicidal. Examples include job loss, death of loved one, and/or drug abuse. According to the American Association of Suicidology approximately 18.8 million or 9.5% American adults suffer with some form of “depressive illness” (AAS, 23 June 2009). Out of the 18.8 million adults suffering with depression 20% of those adults who are left untreated will try to commit suicide (AAS, June 23, 2009). Men are more likely to commit suicide; where as women are more likely to become depressed. “About 7 out of every hundred men and 1 out of every hundred women who have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime will go on to complete suicide” (AAS, June 23, 2009).
If the older patient’s complaints during a routine office visit are being ignored because of their chronological age, successful aging and quality of life will certainly be impacted by lack the of treatment for potential mental conditions. The fact that this ignorance can directly lead to suicide among this particular cohort more than any other group is frightening. Considering that social isolation is a primary reason for the onset of depression among older adults, the importance of physician and other health care provider identification of depression through screening and preventive measures are imperative. According to Blakemore (2009), 40 percent of older people who visit their general physician, half of older adult inpatients in general hospitals and 60 percent of long-term care residents have mental health problems and are often denied access to the same mental health services as younger adults including psychological therapist and drug interventions (p. 6). These numbers are astounding among a group of individuals whose physical health could be directly impacted by improved mental health care. Again, the ageism that influences screening and prevention among older adults is directly impacting the quality of life and chance at active aging among the older population.
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
The risk of suicide rises sharply as people grow older (Suicide). Globally, there is an estimated 25 suicide attempts for each completed suicide (Suicide). These statistics are too staggering and to drastic to ignore.
Rurup, M. L., Pasman, H. R. W., Goedhart, J., Deeg, D. J. H., Kerkhof, A. J. F. M., & Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D. (2011). Understanding Why Older People Develop a Wish to Die. The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 32(4), 204-216.
Zeiss Antonette M., Lewinsohn Peter M., Pohde Paul, and Seeley John R. "Relationship of Physical Disease and Functional Impairment to Depression." Psychology December 1996: p. 572.
This essay examines the reasons why a person of good physical health decides to terminate their own life. It does not consider euthanasia, assisted or forced suicide. Compared to most aspects of psychological health it is limited in scope for research – no “follow-up” can be performed, if the act is completed, and no ethical panel would approve experiments to demonstrate a causal link. Suicide has “no one single cause or stressor” according to the Lancet 2011.
The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that accompany depression can fuel a downward spiral of health and self-esteem, which can have potentially deadly results: In one study of teenage suicides, 60 to 70 percent of the teenagers had been diagnosed with a depressive illness prior to their deaths. An alarming 90 percent of the sample had some form of psychiatric diagnosis -- depression, mood disorder, or substance abuse