Suicide in the elderly

The elderly have some of the highest rates of suicide in the population.

Males aged 75 and over have the highest rates of suicide in nearly all industrialised countries, and among many of these nations suicide rates increases with age.

• in England and Wales between 2023 and 2024 there were 1,043 deaths by suicide in the age group 65 and over (1)
• among males, the age-specific rate was highest in those aged 90 years or over (32.1 deaths per 100,000), followed by those aged 45 to 49 (23.0 deaths per 100,000).
• among females, the age-specific rate was highest in those aged 50 to 54 years (7.8 deaths per 100,000).

The problem of suicide in the elderly is potentially more amenable to intervention because the elderly are more likely than the young to seek professional help.

Cross-cultural differences clearly influence suicide rates.

• for example, in the UK, rates in elderly first-generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent are low in comparison with the indigenous elderly population
• in the USA, the highest suicide rates occur among elderly White men; note that rates among Black men are higher in younger age groups.

Attempted suicide should always be taken seriously in the elderly and is most likely to represent a failed suicide bid rather than parasuicide (2).

• associated with high rates of depression (up to 90%), with major depression accounting for over 50% and physical illness being a significant contributor in around 60–70% of cases
• attempts in the elderly are a much stronger predictor of subsequent completed suicide compared with attempts in younger people, with a ratio of attempts to completion estimated to be around 4:1 compared with between 8 and 200:1 for young people who attempt suicide
• the profile of elderly people who attempt suicide (more so than in other age groups) resembles that of those who complete, and suicidal intent scores are reported to be at their highest

There is limited evidence to suggest that screening tools might enable identification of some adults at increased risk for suicide, although accuracy was lower in studies of older adults. (3)

Reference:

1. ONS. Suicides in England and Wales: 1981 to 2024. February 2026 (online)
2. Cattell H. Suicide in the elderly. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2000) 6: 102-8.
3. US Preventive Services Task Force, Mangione CM, Barry MJ, et al. Screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2022 Oct 18;328(15):1534-42.