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Preventing suicide at every age… from young to old
Every year around the world 1 million people take their own lives. This includes 12,000 suicides in France. Many of them are young, but not all by any means, as the organisers of World Suicide Prevention Day are today reminding us.
This year the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), in collaboration with the WHO, is placing the emphasis on Preventing Suicide across the Lifespan. In fact, in many countries the majority of suicides take place among older adults.
In some countries, “the risk of dying by suicide increases with age. The highest rates being found among those aged 85 and older”. This is a particularly worrying fact in view of the increasingly ageing population in both developed and developing countries.
According to the IASP, depression appears to play an important role among the elderly. And “it is often difficult to identify among this group as it can often be confused with the effects or one or more illnesses”, states the Association.
Indeed, developing a serious health condition is likely to increase the risk of suicide among the elderly. “Older adults who are suicidal are more likely to be suffering from physical illness, and suicidal older men tend more often to be divorced or widowed”.
According to the ISAP, maintaining “close and meaningful” social relations, belonging to organisations, having hobbies and holding strong religious or spiritual beliefs are all “protective factors against suicide. In general terms, it is “very important that countries invest in prevention programmes aimed at people of all ages”. If you’d like to know more about World Suicide Prevention Day you can visit: www.iasp.info.
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