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Suicide, among elderly, on the rise

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A U.S. study says the rate for white men over 85 was
45 per 100,000 in 2007 and about 85 per cent of elderly
suicides were men, with someone taking their life every
97 minutes.
It is said that elderly persons are remarkably efficient at killing
themselves. Among 15-24 year olds, there is a death for every
100-200 attempts. Among the elderly, one out of four attempts
is successful.
A Canadian Coalition for Mental Health report maintains Canadian
men over 65 have the highest rate of suicide in the country and
the rates are increasing as baby boomers age and a Statistics
Canada report says men 90 and over have the highest rate of all.
Modern medicine has succeeded in jacking up longevity, but it
would seem quality of life and the will to live have been left behind.

Dr. Menno Boldt a suicidologist, of the Department of Sociology
at the University of Lethbridge stated that with few exceptions

suicidal persons do not want to die. He states that:

“Suicidal persons do not seek or embrace death, nor
do they reject or devalue life. Rather they seek relief
from the intolerable conditions and circumstances
of their life. Death is the abhorred agent of their relief.”