• Posted March 3, 2025

Seniors Overlooked By Suicide Prevention Programs

Suicide prevention campaigns are overlooking seniors, even though people 75 and older have the highest rates of suicide for any age group, a new study says.

None of the seven most prominent suicide prevention programs include any messaging aimed at at-risk seniors on their web sites.

Older adults are ignored even though five of the programs specifically acknowledge older adults as a high-risk population for suicide on those very web sites, researchers reported Feb. 24 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

“Public-facing suicide prevention campaigns have a record of effectiveness, and the need for such campaigns targeting older adults is greater than ever,” senior researcher Dr. Ipsit Vahia, chief of geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., said in a news release.

“Our hope is that shedding a light on this imbalance may lead to major suicide prevention organizations considering ways to make their resources more easily accessible to older adults,” he continued.

The suicide rate among people 75 and older is 20.3 deaths per 100,000 Americans, and 23 per 100,000 for those 85 and older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That far outpaces the rates for every other age group: 10-14 years of age (2.4 per 100,000); 15-24 (13.6); 25-34 (19); 35-44 (18.7); 45-54 (19.2); 55-64 (18.7); and 65-74 (16).

What’s more, the suicide rate for seniors 75 and older increased by 5% in 2022, the latest year for which stats are available, even as the rate fell in all age groups 34 and younger, researchers said in background notes.

Seniors could be at increased risk for suicide due to social isolation and loneliness, or discrimination based on age or disability, researchers said.

Despite this, analysis of four federally funded agencies, two nonprofits and one public-private partnership found that none of their web sites target at-risk seniors for intervention, researchers said.

These programs all appeared on the first page of a Google search, replicating the natural search process that a troubled senior seeking help might follow, researchers said.

Federally funded organizations advertised multiple youth suicide prevention programs, and five provided resources like pamphlets and podcasts for young people and other targeted groups, results show.

But researchers found only one specific resource aimed at suicide prevention among older adults -- the Friendship Line, a “warmline” phone service primarily dedicated to providing mental health support to seniors.

The Friendship Line is not intended for crisis intervention, however, and was not advertised by any of the seven leading suicide prevention programs, researchers said.

“As clinicians and researchers in geriatric psychiatry, we frequently work with older adults who express suicidal thoughts,” Vahia said.

The study reveals “a great unmet need for older adults,” he added.

More visible and accessible suicide prevention efforts aimed at older adults are needed, specifically tailored to the challenges and troubles they face, researchers concluded.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is available 24 hours a day.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on suicide trends.

SOURCES: Mass General Brigham, news release, Feb. 24, 2025; American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Feb. 24, 2025