Sociodemographic and clinical profile in elderly suicide victims: 34 autopsy case studies

Abstract

Introduction

The elderly suicide is a major public health problem that is gaining more and more ground, given the aging population problem. This has rarely been the subject of forensic studies in Tunisia.

Objectives

To identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of elderly suicide victims over 60 years and to determine what factors might increase suicide risk in this population.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study on suicide victims aged 60 and over, autopsied in forensic medicine department of the Habib Bourguiba university hospital in Sfax (Tunisia), on a 10-year period (January 2006–December 2015).

Results

We identified 34 cases with an average age of 66 years. The sex ratio was 2.77. Suicide victims were alone in 38.2% of cases. They were inactive professionally in 32.4% of cases. Almost half of them (44.1%) had a psychiatric history, 40% of depressed pace, 26.7% of bipolar disorder and 13.3% of schizophrenia.

Three main factors were identified as precipitating the passage to suicidal act: family conflicts (26.5%), financial difficulties (11.8%) and loss of autonomy (5.9%).

Suicide methods were hanging (50%), immolation and drug intoxication (11.8%), hit by train and poisoning (8.8%), jumping from height (5.9%) and drowning (2.9%). In 55.8% of cases, suicide took place at home.

Conclusion

Elderly suicide seems to be a huge but largely preventable public health problem. Its prevention is essentially based on the identification of risk situations and the detection and treatment of depression: major suicide risk factor in this population.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.