Suicide and Seniors

Did you know . . .

. . .That in Florida in 2002, twice as many people died from suicide (2,332) than died by homicide (1,004.)

. . .Pinellas County ranks 4th in the state number of suicide deaths. The ranking is Miami (218), Broward (217), Palm Beach (172), Pinellas (167), and Hillsborough (148). We have a lot of educating to do.

. . .Resident deaths by age group 2002 in Florida
55 - 64 . . .300
65 - 74 . . .225
75 - 84 . . .229
85+ . . . . . 90

. . .While adults age 65 and over comprise only 13 percent of the US population, they account for 20 percent of all suicide deaths.

. . .Suicidal elders often select a means of suicide (efficient and lethal) that does not permit intervention. That means we need to know how to recognize the behavior in time to intervene.

. . . Well over 75% of older people who completed suicide had recent contact with a physician.

. . . In the U.S., the ratio of completed to attempted suicide is 1:4 among the elderly, compared to 1:25 in the general population (MCIntosh, 1997.) Reasons include: Fraility of elders, soical isolation, lethal methods and stronger suicidal intent.

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Suicide affects all of us. Let's Talk About It.