Older men die by suicide at steep rates. Here’s how the VA is trying to change that
LA TimesRay Emmons, 76, left, plays pingpong with Conrad Amers, 71. The problem is “not new but it is overlooked — regularly overlooked,” said Thomas Joiner, a Florida State University psychologist who studies suicide and has written about the mental health of older men. Despite the troubling pattern, “we don’t screen for suicide risk very well, and we especially don’t do it with older adults,” said Richard Frank, director of the Center on Health Policy at the Brookings Institution. Many suicide prevention theories revolve around “if we can protect people against the vulnerabilities that lead to it — so-called ‘upstream’ prevention.” “That turns out to be very hard to do,” Hogan said. It’s every week — training, seeing your friends, and making that connection.” “That impacts mental health tremendously,” she said.
History of this topic
Suicides in U.S. hit historic high in 2022, driven by increase among older adults
LA Times
New help for a group at risk for suicide: Middle-aged men
Live Mint
Distress in seniors surges amid coronavirus pandemic
CNN
Seniors Turn To Suicide In Long-Term Care Homes At Alarming Rates
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