One hundred cases of suicide in elderly people

The White Paper The Health of the Nation targets a reduction in suicide rates. Preventive strategies must be guided by an understanding of the demography and antecedents of suicide. These issues are examined in relation to suicide by old people in Manchester.

One hundred consecutive coroners' inquisitions on people aged over 65 occurring between 1980 and 1991 in which the verdict was suicide were scrutinised and related to Health Service notes.

Suicides were rare, numbers ranging from 0 to seven per annum per Health District. Rates did not vary between district but did within smaller sub-populations. Most individuals died at home; 65% were physically ill, of whom 23% had been hospitalised within the previous year. At least 60% were clinically depressed, with 25% being prescribed antidepressants. A total of 43% had seen their general practitioner in the previous month but only 14% were in contact with psychiatric services.

Many elderly people who commit suicide are not in close contact with primary care services; those who are may not be prescribed appropriate treatment, and few are referred for specialist care. Specialist services will fail to reduce suicide rates unless they embark upon programmes to increase public awareness of therapeutic possibilities and work more closely with primary care agencies to realise these possibilities.