Analysis of suicide in the elderly in Italy. Risk factors and prevention of suicidal behavior

The authors describe the nationwide scale of suicides among the elderly in Italy for the period 1993-2010. The data are derived from the Italian Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The elderly turned out to represent the highest risk category for suicide, with risk increasing with age (suicide rates, per 100,000, in men aged 75 or over and aged 65-74 were respectively 28.3 and 15.7 in 2007). The rates for men were three times higher than those for women. The north-east and north-west regions of Italy had the highest rates of suicide in the elderly. Education was inversely related to the risk of suicide. Hanging was the most frequent method of suicide in men, and precipitation in women. The reasons for suicide, as inferred from available data, were predominantly mental-physical illnesses. The risk factors emerging from our analysis are discussed from the preventive point of view, in relation to the Italian situation and a review of the literature.