[Epidemiology of medication suicide attempt in the elderly]

We studied 38 geriatric patients admitted to our observation ward after attempted suicide by drug ingestion. Age and sex distribution, social status, time of attempt, drugs and therapeutic procedures were registered and compared to suicide attempts of other age groups (n = 231). Our analysis showed that geriatric attempted suicides differed from those of other age groups by less exogenous influences, in motivation, methods and therapeutic procedures. They may represent an own entity of disease nearer to suicide than to attempted suicide.