Suicide among the elderly in Italy: a descriptive epidemiological study (1969 to 1994)

Data regarding the elderly suicide trend in Italy between 1969 and 1994 were analyzed from an epidemiological point of view in order to verify hypotheses on suicide risk factors in old age. The data were obtained from the National Register of the Institute of Health (Italy) and were standardized at 1971 for age and sex. For the purposes of the study, only data for people aged 70 years and over were considered. The elderly suicide rate increased from 274 per 1,000,000 in 1969 to 354.7 per 1,000,000 in 1994 in males and from 59.7 per 1,000,000 in 1969 to 82.1 per 1,000,000 in 1994 in females. In the three macroareas (northern, central, and southern regions, indicated as N, C, and S), it is possible to observe different trends. In both genders, N and C rates are the highest in Italy (tending to be similar), while S rates are lower and distinct from the others. The most marked increase was observed in the S male rate, whereas N and C rates show a remission after the rate increase in 1980. The most important finding to emerge from this study is the interruption in the tendency for suicide rates to increase in recent years (dating back to the mid-1980s) and the nonuniformity of the nationwide distribution of suicides.