Identification of Suicidal Ideation and Prevention of Suicidal Behaviour in the Elderly

In almost all industrialised countries, men aged 75 years and older have the highest suicide rate among all age groups. Although in younger age groups suicide attempts are often impulsive and communicative acts, suicide attempts in older people (defined as aged 65 years and older) are often long planned and involve high-lethality methods. These characteristics, in addition to the fact that elderly are more fragile and frequently live alone, more often lead to fatal outcome.