There Was No Answer At Her Front Door | Case Studies: A Conversation About Older Adult Suicide

Older adults tend to plan suicide more carefully. They are also more likely to use more lethal methods.
“Older adults die by suicide at a rate greater than any other age group. And that comes as a surprise to most people,” says therapist Bianca O’Connor McDermott, LPC, in Case Studies: A Conversation about Older Adult Suicide, a new three-part Recovery Diaries series that presents the difficult conversation around the topic of suicide among older adults. The series features commentary from mental health professionals to promote awareness about this significant public health issue.
McDermott is joined by Jennifer Haeussler-Barnhart, Montgomery County Office of Senior Services; therapist Bianca O’Connor McDermott; and Tony Salvatore, MA, from Montgomery County Emergency Service. Jennifer, Bianca and Tony comprise the Older Adult Suicide Prevention Committee of the Montgomery County Suicide Prevention Task Force.
According to the National Council on Aging, reasons the rate of suicide is higher for older adults include loneliness and isolation, depression, grief over the passing of loved ones, loss of self-sufficiency, chronic illness and pain.
Case Studies: A Conversation about Older Adult Suicide features animated stories of seniors who have attempted suicide (artfully envisioned by motion graphics designer Andrea Bitai) as a springboard for each discussion. The case studies shared here are stories taken from real life, and are used by mental health professionals in presentations to promote understanding and awareness about the issue. They present startling truths about older adult suicide, as well as raise important questions that we need to ask ourselves as we wrestle with this difficult topic. Ben’s story, featured in this video, highlights the perceived loss of independence, one of the biggest risk factors in older adult suicide.
We hope that Case Studies: A Conversation about Older Adult Suicide can serve as an awakening of the issue, an exploration that presents the scope and scale of the problem and a search for solutions. Our goal with this series is to help people all over the world who are struggling to find anything on this topic to gain access to hopeful, helpful messaging around older adult suicide.
We invite you to join the conversation and would love to know your stories, your thoughts on this topic. Please comment on this post if you feel comfortable sharing.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline outlines five action steps that you can take if you know an older adult who is thinking about suicide.
If you or someone you know may be in crisis or considering suicide, please call, text, or chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.