Correlation Between Dementia And Suicide

"More people in the general population die from suicide than homicide in North America. There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living in the United States, and for every suicide, there are between 8 and 25 attempts" (Brent 4203). Based on this research, the great effect of suicide is displayed. According to dictionary.com, suicide can be defined as "the intentional taking of one's own life." Suicide is a major issue for all people, but it most obviously affects those ranging from ten to twenty-four. People need to understand the tremendous ramifications caused from suicide everyday; when people take their lives, others lose their loved ones. Suicide, one of the leading causes of death of numerous people each day, has reached a crisis point for adolescents and young adults, and it needs to be prevented.

For the purpose of the current essay, suicide will be defined, as an act or instance of taking ones own life through direct, deliberate and immediate acts that lead to death life through direct, deliberate and immediate acts that lead to death (XXXXX). Importantly, one should remember that there are different forms of suicide. For example, euthanasia to end suffering or physician assisted suicide as well as adolescent suicides for individuals that are prepubescent and honor suicides which are completed to escape the shame, placed on themselves or others, of an action they did. Additionally, there are two forms of attempted suicides that should be considered. First there is para suicide, or an attempted suicide using nonlethal means (Curra). Often, these are suicide attempts or gestures such as consuming a nonlethal amount of medication or cutting where the cut is not deep enough to cause significant blood less. Although there are numerous forms of suicide, the primary focus for the remainder of this essay will be on

Elderly adults make up only 12% of the U.S. population, but account for over 18% of all suicide deaths which is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (McQueen, 2012). Older adults, especially men 84 years and older, have the highest rates of suicide of any age group (McQueen, 2012).There are many elderly people who take their lives either by their own hands or with the help of a physician or loved one each year. Studies have shown this is due to depression, pain, grief, loneliness, alcoholism and career stress (McQueen, 2012). Fortunately, these are all treatable conditions that could be easily recognized by physicians and family members. Having experienced a couple of suicides by extended elderly

In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.

Suicide is defined as the action of killing oneself intentionally. This act of self-harm has been present in every culture in the world since the beginning of the human race. There are many different views concerning the topic on whether the action is justifiable or a selfish act. In order to understand how the world has perceived suicide, one must dig into the reactions of different times. As time progressed, views went back and forth on the idea of suicide.

Suicide is a severe community health matter which can have lifelong negative consequences on individuals, families, and the society. Reduce suicidal risk factors and increase protective measures are the main objective of suicide prevention. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined suicide as the “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior; suicide attempt is “A non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior with an intent to die as a result of the behavior; might not result in injury’; and suicidal ideation is “thinking about, considering, or planning suicide” (2015).

Suicide rate is a grow problem in the United States according to the American foundation for suicide prevention more than 41,149 suicides were reported in 2013. The highest rate of suicides is committed by adults between age 45-64 and this is especially true amongst the elderly. Older adults are inflected with a terminal disease, loneness and depression and because of this they are committing suicide at a higher rate. Suicide amongst the men is steadily higher than women, in 2013, 77.9% were male and 22.1% were female. Men success rate for suicide is much higher, because their attempt is more lethal, for example, men are more than likely to shot themselves, whereas women are more likely to use poisons to end their life. Suicide Rate committed race/ethnicity was higher among Whites 14.2%, American Indians and Alaska Natives 11.7%, Asians and Pacific Islanders 5.8%, Blacks 5.4% and Hispanics 5.7%. According to the mean method used to commit suicide is a firearm, then suffocation and poisoning. The main cause of suicide is due to mental health condition and depression is at the foremost leading factor.

This article begins by referencing an incident of a 74-year-old woman in the Netherlands whom requested euthanasia for her chronic dementia. The author (Lane) explains how euthanasia is so commonplace in the Netherlands and how they use subjective criteria such as “"unbearable suffering," "due care" and, fuzziest of all, especially in cases of dementia or mental illness, a ‘voluntary, well-considered request’”. The author goes on to explain how the current euthanasia laws are problematic and “In some cases, physicians knowingly pushed the limits of [the] law”. The author goes on to conclude that if euthanasia were to be expanded beyond what it is now, the impaired patient’s ability to consent would become doubtful or null. The legislation in

It is hard to imagine that an individual could reach a point where no other options seem viable, yet suicide remains a relevant and pervasive issue in society. Suicide is a leading cause of premature and preventable death. In 2009, it was estimated that there were 100,000 years of potential life lost by Canadians under the age of 75 as a result of suicide (Navaneelan, T., et al., 2012). Suicide is particularly prevalent among two age groups: adolescents and the elderly. Research shows that mental illness is one of the most common characteristics of people who commit suicide in all ages, with more than 90% of suicides being committed by someone with a mental or addictive disorder. The mental illness most often at the root of suicide is depression, with approximately 60% suffering from this condition.

There are not many people who are willing to dig deeper into understanding why a person attempts or thinks about committing suicide. There may be even fewer people who want to understand what is going on in that person’s brain as well, but Alexandre Dombrovski sought out to find and understand what goes on in a person’s brain who attempts and thinks about committing suicide. In the article, “Cognitive Performance in Suicidal Depressed Elderly: Preliminary Report” written by Alexandre Dombrovski, he studied depressed elderly patients who have had both suicidal attempts and thoughts in order to see if there is a difference in their cognitive functioning’s. To find the results of his study Dombrovski examined and tested 64 different patients who

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, older adults make up 12% of the United States population, but account for 18% of all suicide deaths. In 2002, the annual suicide rate for people over the age of 65, was over 15 per 100,000 individuals; this number increases for those age 75 to 84, with over 17 suicide deaths per every 100,000 (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2016). The rates of late-life suicide rises even higher for those over age 85. Although the statistics stated above are troubling, these numbers do not account for all suicides committed among this population. Late-life suicide is greatly under reported. Not counted are the “silent suicides” which includes death by overdose, self-starvation or dehydration, refusing medication or medical advice, and “accidents”. These deaths are not labelled as suicide even when the older adult’s intent was to die. Suicide among older Americans is an important public health problem, made all the more alarming because it can be prevented. There are ways of successfully treating or otherwise addressing the risk factors, like depression, that may be associated with this problem.

AJP (1997, November) Book Forum Suicide and Aging: International Perspectives. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2018, from

Suicide is the taken of one’s own life; among the elder community it is a very common occurrence. Suicide is common in the elderly because they probably do not feel that their life is worth living anymore. Many of the times they experience ageism that deters their feeling of independence; as far as how they are seen in society’s eyes. As well as, medical issues that brings forth further dependence on others around them. The elderly are not content with their life so they experience a sense of hopelessness that often leads them to commit suicide. Suicide is measured through the psychological, the environmental, and the physical influences; that offer limitations. Many of the elderly may feel depressed about their situations (poverty, lack

Suicide is a main source of death around the world and ranks among the three main causes of death among young adults aged between 15-45 years. Indeed, a response to this continuous worldwide issue, the World Health Organization called for the prevention of suicide (WHO, 2015). Several studies have evaluated some of the contributing factors, however, the connection between suicide and the evaluated factors is conclusively positive or negative.

Mental health issues such depression, anxiety is a health burden that negatively affects many people’s quality of life, especially older adults. In this Literature review we will use the terms older adults, elderly, baby boomer when referring to people ages 65 and older. “The rate of suicide in those aged 65 years and over has been increasing over the past three decades in most industrialized countries, with marked increases in both attempted suicides and death by suicide in the late 1980s” (Deuter, 2016). Older adults in the United States and many countries around the world die by suicide at elevated rates compared with younger adults (Conwell, and Van Orden, 2016). In addition to the age different, suicide seem to affect man and women differently with the baby boomer population. Men die more from suicide compare to women, even though females suicide attempt rate is higher (Heisel, 2006). Deuter reports that, in 2013, 7215 people aged 65 years and over died by suicide the USA, which accounts for 17.5% of the national total of suicide deaths (2016). The elevation of suicide in the elder is not only limited to the United States. According to Conwell (2013), the number of adults 65 year and older who died in the US is 6000 and 20,000 died worldwide, in 2010. The elderly population have become increasing prone to committing suicide and considered to be a population at risk. We will focus on the cause, challenges/controversy, and solutions that were used to address the issue of