Suicide in Late Life: A Viewpoint

Overview

Journal Prev Med

Specialty Public Health

Date 2021 Sep 20

PMID 34538377

Citations 10

Authors

Diego De Leo

Andrea Viecelli Giannotti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Suicide in old age represents a sad public health concern. Despite the global decline in rates of suicide and the general amelioration of quality of life and access to health care for older adults, their rates of suicide remain the highest virtually in every part of the world. With the aging of the world population and the growing number of mononuclear families, the risk of an increase in isolation, loneliness and dependency does not appear ungrounded. The Covid-19 pandemic is claiming the life of many older persons and creating unprecedented conditions of distress, particularly for this segment of the population. This article briefly examines the main characteristics of suicidal behavior in late life, including observations deriving from the spread of the Sars-2 coronavirus and possible strategies for prevention.

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