BODY SIGNAL ALERT: SUICIDAL GESTURES
Description and Possible Medical Problems
In our society, suicide is most often talked about in context of a teenager or a middle-aged man who’s become despondent because he’s lost his job or his spouse. More common than people think, however, is the high rate of suicide among elderly people. Chronic illness, the loss of a spouse, and financial insecurities can all spark thoughts of suicide in an elderly person.
There are two classifications of suicide: active and passive. An active suicide is when a person attempts suicide by herself, sometimes through physical harm, such as hanging or electrocution. In the elderly, active suicide often involves either stopping medication or taking too much or abusing alcohol, often in combination with an overdose of medication. Passive suicide seems to be in the news every day, since this kind of suicide involves having someone else take responsibility for the act.
Signs of suicide include not only the actual attempt but complaints of severe pain, both physical and emotional. Frequently, a person who is considering suicide feels isolated and lonely and believes her family doesn’t care about her. Other signs may include making sure her affairs are in order by making out a will and paying all her bills. I had one patient who had her cat put to sleep right before she made a suicide attempt. In fact, once all of her arrangements are made and everything is cleared up, a person who is thinking about suicide may find that her loneliness will change to euphoria since she may feel that now she has a way out.
Treatment
Be aware of the signals that indicate that a person is thinking about suicide. If a close friend or family member complains of feeling hopeless, is depressed about the future, and starts talking about suicide, even in an offhand manner, she needs immediate medical attention. If she won’t seek it out for herself, you’ll have to do it for her.
Don’t wait. Get help now. Call 911 if the person is threatening to kill herself, or call one of the suicide hot lines in the community. Then, after the crisis has passed, work with the person to get psychiatric counseling on either a private or an individual basis; I’ve found that even joining a church or other social group can help a person become less depressed.
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