Older adults commit suicide proportionately more often than any other age group in the United States. White men over age 85 have the highest suicide rate.

The high rate of suicide among this population may be due to several factors. Suicidal thoughtsSuicidal thoughts and behavior are most commonly seen in older adults as symptoms of depression. Depression in elderly people is often associated with physical illness, chronic pain and stressful life events, such as the loss of a loved one, physical or mental impairment, retirement and social isolation.

Some of the same risk factors for depression put older adults at an increased risk of suicide. These include social isolation, recent personal loss and the challenge of physical or emotional difficulties. In general, retired men living alone face a greater risk of suicide than women, married men or those actively engaged in structured, productive activity.

Some suicides among elderly people are homicide-suicides, meaning a person commits suicide after first killing another person. In most cases, an elderly man kills his spouse and then himself. People age 55 and older account for the majority of the estimated 1,500 deaths caused by homicide-suicide every year. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) occurs when a physician supplies lethal information or means, but the patient carries out the act.  PAS may also affect the elderly, although it occurs infrequently because it is legal in very few jurisdictions.

There are some specific warning signs and techniques on approaching an elderly person about suicide. For example, irritability, chronic abdominal pain or headaches and changes in appetite or sleeping patterns may indicate suicide risk in older adults. Social interaction with loved ones may help distract the elderly from thoughts of suicide. Primary care physicians can screen elderly patients for depression as a method of monitoring suicidal behavior.