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. 1997 Mar;87(3):434–437. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.3.434

The health status of elderly persons in the last year of life: a comparison of deaths by suicide, injury, and natural causes.

L Grabbe 1, A Demi 1, M A Camann 1, L Potter 1
PMCID: PMC1381019  PMID: 9096548

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study identified health status variables related to suicide by elderly persons and compared the health status of suicide decedents with natural death and injury decedents. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey. RESULTS: When other variables were controlled for, suicide decedents were significantly more likely than injury decedents to have a history of cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 51.94), moderate (OR = 29.37) or heavy (OR = 22.87) alcohol use, and mental or emotional disorder (OR = 10.91) and to be White (OR = 18.54) and male (OR = 9.12). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a history of cancer should be considered as a risk for suicide in the elderly.

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Selected References

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