Analysis of Older Adult Suicide Deaths in Illinois, 2020-2021
By Divya Bhardwaj
The Illinois Violent Death Reporting System (IVDRS) recorded 271 deaths by suicide among residents aged 65 and older in 2021, an increase from 238 in 2020. Over the two-year period, these older adult suicides made up 18.9% of all Illinois suicide deaths.
Researchers noted that these deaths disproportionately affected White males between the ages of 65 and 74 years, with at least a high school education living in small urban and rural environments and involving firearms as the source of fatal injury. They hope their findings can help inform the creation and implementation of targeted prevention efforts.
There was an overrepresentation of males, who comprised 82.9% of older adult suicide deaths, and of Non-Hispanic White individuals, who comprised 91.7% of older adult suicide deaths.
The majority of older adult suicide decedents were between the ages of 65 and 74 (52.7%). 34.4% of older suicide decedents were between the ages of 75 and 84, and 13% were aged 85 and older. Researchers believe that this may indicate a need to provide more prevention efforts in the period immediately following retirement and in the early stages of aging.
Focusing on safe storage of firearm ownership could potentially aid prevention efforts, according to researchers, since in 58.7% of instances of older adult suicide, a firearm was used. Adults aged 65 and older accounted for 29.7% of firearm suicides in 2021, an increase from 26.3% in 2020 and 26.5% in 2019.
One-fifth of older suicide decedents had a diagnosis of depression, and 14.1% of these decedents were receiving a current mental illness treatment. Additionally, 18.5% of decedents were reported to be showing signs of feeling depressed at the time of their death, and 9.4% had antidepressants in their system. Researchers indicate that this highlights potential gaps in healthcare detection and treatment of depression.
75.4% of the suicides occurred at the decedent’s home. Also, 45.2% of older adult suicide decedents were married, 21.6% were widowed, 21.4% were divorced, and 10.4% were single. These factors, alongside other indicators including employment status and family estrangement, highlight social isolation as a potential risk factor for this population.
Other known risk factors for older adult suicide include physical and mental health problems, loss of independence, and dementia/loss of cognitive abilities. Researchers analyzed narratives written by data abstractors from source documents for the presence of these contributing circumstances, finding that 19% of older adult suicide decedents had at least one of them present.
The Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance, created by the Suicide Prevention, Education and Treatment Act, operates within the Illinois Department of Public Health and aims to bring together experts and organizations to produce infrastructure, plans, and funding for prevention. The regularly updated Illinois Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan outlines goals and objectives, including improving community awareness, education, and data collection.
Resources pertaining to older adult suicide include the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Administration on Aging’s Older Americans Behavioral Health Issue Brief 4: Preventing Suicide in Older Adults, SAMHSA’s Suicide Warning Signs and Prevention Strategies for Older Adults, and the National Council on Aging’s “Suicide and Older Adults: What You Should Know” guide.
Full Data Brief Here.