Suicide rates increase with age and are highest among white
men age 65 and older. Divorced and widowed men in this age group have the
highest suicide rates, and their most common method of suicide is
firearms.
The following warning signs may be present in older
adults who have a high risk for suicide:
- Depression. Older adults have higher
rates of depression than the general population.
- Other mental
health problem, such as severe
anxiety,
bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), or
schizophrenia
- Alcohol or substance abuse
- Being alone for
long periods of time (social isolation)
- Being preoccupied with
death in conversations
- The diagnosis of a serious physical
illness
- Recent life change, such as the death or chronic illness of
a spouse or child, retirement, or financial difficulties
- Physical
disabilities
FDA Advisories. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has issued:
- An
advisory on antidepressant medicines and the risk of
suicide. The FDA does not recommend that people stop using these medicines, but
to watch for
warning signs of suicide in those using them. This is
especially important at the beginning of treatment or when doses are
changed.
- A
warning about the antidepressants Paxil and Paxil CR
and birth defects. Taking these medicines in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy
may increase your chance of having a baby with a birth defect.
