Staying Fit
Suicide rates among older adults are rising, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and men are most at risk.
Between 2001 and 2021, suicide rates increased significantly for men ages 55 to 74 and women 55 to 84. Among older men, the suicide rate generally increased with age, with men 85 and older having the highest of any age group (55.7 suicide deaths for every 100,000 people). The report also found that firearm-related suicide was much more common in older men.
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Provisional data for 2022 from the CDC indicates that almost 53 percent of the record 49,449 deaths by suicide in the United States were among individuals age 45 and older. Among those ages 45 to 64, deaths by suicide increased nearly 7 percent since 2021; they rose more than 8 percent for those 65-plus.
These increases stand out sharply compared to younger groups. During the same period, suicide deaths dropped more than 8 percent among individuals under age 24 and rose less than 1 percent among ages 25 to 44.
Suicide deaths happen throughout the year, but contrary to what many people think, suicides do not peak during the holidays but are actually more common during summer and fall.
Loneliness and social isolation
Just why older adults are at risk includes a host of factors including loneliness and social isolation, grief over the loss of a partner, and diminished personal autonomy.
Also, drastic changes in circumstances — such as retirement or a life-threatening physical or mental health diagnosis — may contribute to a crisis. The CDC’s release of its 2022 provisional estimates for suicide deaths suggests a trend that the final data released at the end of the year should confirm: Older adults — especially older men — are at particular risk of taking their lives.
“Oftentimes, there may be a dozen or more risk factors ongoing over many years and now they’re facing the death of a spouse or a new diagnosis of dementia or worsening pain. Any one of those can be a piling up of risk factors,” says psychiatrist Christine Moutier, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“In that older age group, suicidal behavior is more planned and gravitates toward more lethal means and they’re possibly less likely to be found and resuscitated. It’s also possible that the frailty aspect makes them more likely to succumb to a suicide attempt versus a younger person,” she says.
Complex and subtle signs
The factors that may cause someone to take their life are complex, just as the warning signs that may indicate their crisis. Such warning signs include avoiding social activities and not being interested in things they used to enjoy; giving away personal items; neglecting their health or grooming; expressing little concern for their safety; or being preoccupied with death.
Some signs are more subtle, says Thomas Joiner, a psychology professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee who studies suicide. He’s written several books on the subject, including one to be published in February.
“It can look like sleep problems or a change in sleep. You can see a notable change in social engagement. There’s an edginess and agitation and irritability,” he says. “If those signs appear all of a sudden, it’s not necessarily a suicidal crisis, but it shouldn’t be ruled out.”
Joiner notes that older men “are the group most prone to concealing these warning signs.”
Loved ones should listen to their gut
Moutier urges families to trust their gut instinct.
“We have our standard list of warning signs on suicide risk, but the truth is for each individual it needs to be customized, based on what we know about the person,” she says. “An older man may not express sadness. It may come across as irritable, angry and withdrawn. They’re not showing up for usual activities.”
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