Fact for the Day: Age and Suicide

Sunset at Porto Covo, Portugal |
Source: Wikimedia Commons

According to data collected by the WHO, age is a significant correlate with the risk of committing suicide. In 2008, more than half of the worldwide deaths by suicide were among individuals between the ages of 15 and 44. However, the rate among this age group was about 17 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. With each successive age group (45-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+) the suicide rate climbs dramatically, with the 80+ group having a suicide rate almost four times that of people aged 15-29.

So how do we explain the higher prevalence of suicide among the elderly? Compared to younger adults, when older adults are suicidal, they are likely to be more intent and less impulsive, to thoroughly develop a plan, and to utilize the most lethal means. In addition, suicide detection and prevention is prioritized less heavily with older men and women. Suicide among older people rarely attracts the attention of the media. Many people don't even consider the idea, let alone the possibility, of their parent or grandparent attempting suicide. Others accept suicide as a means to end a long and productive life.

Elderly people are at the highest risk of suffering from physical illness or feeling hopeless, helpless, futile, worthless, and depressed. Retirement or the loneliness of widows and widowers can cause depression directly. All of these factors can contribute significantly to suicidal ideation. It is especially important for older people to be socially engaged and be self-satisfied in their social role to avoid suffering from these factors.

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Suicide and the Military

Sailor playing "Taps" during a Burial at Sea |
Released by U.S. Navy

Last year, more than 295 Americans died fighting in Afghanistan. However, this is surpassed by the number of servicemen, 349, who died by suicide (this includes those in active-duty and reserve). In fact, this was the highest total since the Pentagon began tracking suicides in 2001. Most of the men and women who took their own lives, 182, were active duty Army personnel. Among other active-duty troops, the Marines recorded 48 suicides, the Air Force had 59, and the Navy had 60. This has become such a problem in recent years that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reported it as an "epidemic" before a congressional committee.

David Rudd, a military suicide researcher and professor at the University of Utah, is pessimistic about the short-term trend of increasing suicides. He separates victims into two categories: combat veterans who suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress, or substance abuse and servicemen who have not gone to war but are troubled by personal, financial, or legal problems. The latter accounts for about a third of military suicide victims. As a retired Army general noted, "stress, guns and alcohol constitute a dangerous mixture. In the wrong proportions, they tend to blow out the lamp of the mind and cause irrational acts." 

The Pentagon goes to great lengths to analyze the circumstances around suicide cases and found that most tended to involve enlisted men under the age of 25 and without a college education. Divorced service members were also found to be at an enhanced risk. Most suicides involved the use of firearms and many involved personnel with a personal history of behavioral problems.

Source: Flikr

Since suicides began escalating around 2009, the military has made a concerted effort to elevate suicide prevention and awareness. Despite this, a stigma remains in the difficulty for service members to find counseling, both while in active-duty and after they've begun the transition back into civilian life. Most are afraid that asking for help will be detrimental to their career, or simply won't admit to having a problem. In order to help this, Senator Patty Murray of Washington has pushed for measures to improve the military's mental health programs, education for chaplains and medics, and peer counseling that would match veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq with fellow combat veterans. Veterans may find their peers more accessible than professional counselors.

Listen to the interview of NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, reporting at npr.org.

If you are a service member or a family member that needs help, contact the Military Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255. If you're a family member who is suffering from the loss of a loved one and fallen service member, call the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, at 800-959-8277.

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.

Fact for the Day: Gambling and Suicide

Source: Wikimedia Commons /
Public Domain

A study at the University of São Paulo found that between 12 and 24% of pathological gamblers attempt suicide (other studies have produced similar results). In addition, a study at a hospital in Melbourne, Australia found that nearly one in five suicidal patients were also problem gamblers. Why is suicidal thought common among problem gamblers compared to the general population? Problem gamblers often have other problems that are associated with a high risk of suicide or suicidal ideation, namely mental illness and abuse of drugs and/or alcohol. Treating problem and pathological gambling can be done through step-based programs, such as Gamblers Anonymous, or therapeutic methods like cognitive behavioral therapy. Peer support and medication can also aid in treatment.  A study conducted by Dr. Wendy S. Slutske, Ph.D. found that one-third of pathological gamblers overcame their disorder through natural self-help. In any case, if you know someone that desires to rid themselves of a compulsive gambling problem, let them know help's available and it's a problem that can be defeated.

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In the News: Guns and Suicide

Source: Library of Congress / Public Domain

As part of a special series, Guns in America: A Loaded Relationship, NPR's Kirk Siegler reported a story about guns and suicide in Wyoming.

Of all the people who die by gun in the United States, nearly two-thirds of those deaths are by suicide. Among many Americans, especially in rural areas, the liberty to possess firearms is an important aspect of their life and culture. Unfortunately, guns also provide easy and accessible lethal means for those in crisis. 

The argument can be made that those intent on suicide will find the means to commit it. In areas where gun ownership is common, guns are the usually the leading method of suicide, and by considerably margins. But in areas where firearms are not so ubiquitous, other methods (e.g. falling, poison) often make up the majority of suicides. 

However, states with the highest rates of gun ownership, like Wyoming and Alaska, often correspond to those with highest rates of suicide. With that evidence, one would expect, then, that limiting the availability of guns would curb suicide rates. But in places where gun culture is so personally entrenched, gun control is not a viable option. Rather, we must rely on promoting suicide awareness and firearm safety to reduce suicide rates in these areas. When you see others depressed or in crisis, make every effort possible to persuade them to seek help from mental health professionals. Urge those that own guns to keep their firearms and ammunition locked in their homes. You can help just by spreading awareness.

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Poll: Have you ever been affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts?

Let's Talk Suicide: Setting Off

Launch of the Frank J. Hecker |

Source: Library of Congress / Public Domain

So let's start this off. Suicide. Not a typical subject of chit-chat and casual conversation. Think about it, it's not something you hear about in the news as often as murder and it doesn't collect nearly as much public discussion or awareness as cancer or other physical illnesses. But it's estimated that worldwide, deaths as a result of suicide match the total number of deaths by homicide and breast cancer combined.

About one in every 500 people attempt suicide every year. What was the size of your high school graduating class? How many people lived in your college dormitory? Now consider the likelihood that one of those people, someone you know, has attempted or will attempt suicide at some point in their life.

So why don't we talk about suicide more than we do? Well, for many people, it still seems more inscrutable and inexplicable than murder. Scientists still face the problem of curing cancers and other diseases, but it's widely understood that these physical illnesses have direct biological causes that can be observed and measured. Many mental illnesses, on the other hand, are still a complete enigma to scientific study. This goes as well with our thoughts, motivations, and emotions. The brain and nervous system are naturally more mysterious and difficult to study than the other systems of the human body. As we know, suicide is most often committed by those in utmost despair, a consequence of stress and/or often comorbid mental disorders (e.g. unipolar or bipolar depression, schizophrenia, drug abuse, and alcoholism). In many Western and individualistic cultures, suicide can bring thoughts of great shame and embarrassment. By contrast, in many Near and Far Eastern and collectivist cultures, suicide may be committed out of honor, respect, or protest.

This blog was purposefully created as a sanctum of free discussion and education on the topic of suicide. Here, we can discuss the historical and contemporary issues of suicide as well as the news and research relating to it. We welcome comments and suggestions.

Have a question or comment for the author? Email Sam at essessnine97@gmail.com.