JOÃO AND MARIA * are over 50 years old and live in a small house in rural America. John slowly died of emphysema and heart failure. Mary just can't imagine life without John and can't stand the pain of seeing him go away with a sigh. Mary has her own health problems and has suffered from depression for years. John has been alarmed lately because Mary has opened up about suicide. His thinking is becoming increasingly confused by depression and all the medications he is taking. She says she can't stand being alone.
The house is full of medicines: pills for the heart, antidepressants, sedatives. One morning Mary goes into the kitchen and takes pills. She doesn't stop until John finds her and takes her pills. He calls the rescue team when she falls into a coma. Pray it won't be too late.
What the statistics show
Much has been written in recent years about the growing number of suicides among young people, and rightly why is there a greater tragedy than the needless death of a young man full of life and promise? However, the headlines ignore the fact that the suicide rate in most countries increases steadily with age. This is true regardless of whether the overall suicide rate in a given country is high or low, as shown in the table on the previous page. A look at these statistics also reveals the global nature of this hidden epidemic.
In 1996, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that suicides among Americans 65 and over had increased 36% since 1980. Part of this increase was due to the greater number of older Americans, but not all of it. In 1996, the actual suicide rate among people 65 and over also increased by 9% for the first time in 40 years. Of the injury-related deaths, only falls and traffic accidents killed more elderly Americans. In fact, even these alarming numbers can be very low. "It is believed that suicide is grossly underestimated in statistics based on confirmation of the cause of death," said a book devoted to the investigation of suicide. The book adds that some believe the actual numbers are twice as high as the statistics reported.
The result? The United States, like many other countries, suffers from the hidden global epidemic of suicide among the elderly. The subject's expert, Dr. Herbert Hendin, notes, “Despite the fact that the suicide rate in the United States increases with age, suicide among the elderly has received little public attention. . Why is that? He suggests that part of the problem is that since the suicide rate among the elderly was historically high, "it did not set off the sudden alarm that has come with the dramatic increase in suicide among young people".
Terrible efficiency
These statistics are shocking, but only cold numbers. You cannot convey the loneliness of life without a loving partner, the frustration of lost independence, the hopelessness of an ongoing illness, the emptiness of chronic depression, the hopelessness of a deadly disease. The sad truth is that while young people can attempt suicide as a ruthless response to temporary problems, older people often face problems that seem permanent and unsolvable. As a result, they often approach suicide more decisively than young people, and do so with amazing efficiency.
"Not only is suicide much more common in the elderly, but the suicide law itself reflects important differences between the elderly and the young," notes Dr. Hendin in his book Suicide in America. “In particular, the relationship between suicide attempts and actual suicides changes a lot in older people. In the general population, the proportion of suicide attempts in actual suicides was estimated at 10 to 1; in young people (15-24 years old) it was estimated at 100 to 1; and among those over 55 it was valued 1 to 1 ".
What worrying statistics! How depressing it is to get old, lose physical strength, and suffer from pain and illness! It's no wonder so many people commit suicide. However, there is a strong reason to cherish life even in the most difficult of circumstances. Think about what happened to Maria mentioned in the introduction.
