Suicide prevention in late life: directions for science and practice

Suicide among the elderly is a critical public health problem, yet there remains limited information on risk factors to target due to the few number of controlled studies that could help isolate and focus on the most potent risk factors. We suggest that because there are no proven, effective interventions showing reduced suicidal behaviors in older adults, the best current approach is to improve detection and treatment of later-life depression. This effort may be especially effective in primary care settings, where the majority of our nation's elderly seek and receive their mental health care. We review approaches to assessment and treatment of later life depression that seem most relevant for later life suicide prevention. Testing and determining whether these treatment approaches are effective is an immediate goal on the path to advancing the science and practice of late-life suicide prevention.