Table 3.
Mental disorders, substance misuse/addiction, and other contributing factors among suicide decedents age 65+: Results from single-variable multinomial logistic regression models.
| 65–74 years N = 9,797 (54.7%) | 75–84 years N = 5,592 (31.2%) | 85+ years N = 2,528 (14.1%) | 75–84 years vs. 65–74 years RRR (95% CI) | 85+ years vs. 65–74 years RRR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History of suicide attempt (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 87.4 | 92.1 | 94.5 | – | – |
| Yes | 12.6 | 7.9 | 5.5 | 0.60 (0.53–0.67)*** | 0.40 (0.33–0.48)*** |
| Mental health and substance use problems | |||||
| Depressed mood at the time of injury (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 68.3 | 66.5 | 68.1 | – | – |
| Yes | 31.7 | 33.5 | 31.9 | 1.08 (1.01–1.16)* | 1.01 (0.92–1.11) |
| Current mental health disorder1 (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 58.4 | 67.8 | 76.1 | – | – |
| Yes | 41.6 | 32.2 | 23.9 | 0.67 (0.62–0.72)*** | 0.44 (0.40–0.49)*** |
| Types of disorder (among all decedents) (%) | |||||
| Depressive disorder/dysthymia | 32.6 | 23.8 | 17.7 | ||
| Bipolar disorder | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.4 | ||
| Anxiety disorder | 8.8 | 6.3 | 3.7 | ||
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | ||
| Schizophrenia | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | ||
| Dementia | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | ||
| Other and unknown types of disorder | 5.8 | 7.1 | 5.7 | ||
| Alcohol problem/addiction (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 88.0 | 95.3 | 97.9 | – | – |
| Yes | 12.0 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 0.36 (0.31–0.41)*** | 0.16 (0.12–0.21)*** |
| Other substance misuse2 (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 95.0 | 98.5 | 99.4 | – | – |
| Yes | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.30 (0.24–0.37)*** | 0.11 (0.06–0.18)*** |
| Other addiction problem3 (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 99.4 | 99.7 | 99.9 | – | – |
| Yes | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.43 (0.24–0.77)** | 0.20 (0.06–0.65)** |
| Summary of mental disorder4 and/or substance misuse/other addiction (%) | |||||
| No mental disorder or substance misuse/addiction | 51.2 | 64.5 | 74.8 | – | – |
| Substance misuse/addiction only | 7.2 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.36 (0.31–0.43)*** | 0.12 (0.08–0.17)*** |
| Mental disorder only | 33.4 | 29.4 | 22.5 | 0.70 (0.65–0.75)*** | 0.46 (0.42–0.51)*** |
| Both mental disorder and substance misuse /addiction | 8.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.27 (0.22–0.32)*** | 0.12 (0.08–0.16)*** |
| Mental health/substance misuse treatment receipt5 (%) | |||||
| At the time of injury | 22.7 | 16.0 | 9.6 | 0.63 (0.58–0.68)*** | 0.36 (0.32–0.41)*** |
| History of mental health treatment | 28.5 | 20.0 | 12.5 | 0.65 (0.60–0.71)*** | 0.36 (0.34–0.42)*** |
| Contributing physical health problem6 (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 58.1 | 43.2 | 40.3 | – | – |
| Yes | 41.9 | 56.8 | 59.7 | 1.82 (1.70–1.95)*** | 2.05 (1.88–2.24)*** |
| Contributing relationship and other life stressors | |||||
| Relationship problem7 (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 82.7 | 88.8 | 93.4 | – | – |
| Yes | 17.3 | 11.2 | 6.6 | 0.60 (0.54–0.66)*** | 0.34 (0.28–0.40)*** |
| Death/suicide of family/friend or traumatic anniversary (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 91.1 | 88.1 | 86.3 | – | – |
| Yes | 8.9 | 11.9 | 13.7 | 1.37 (1.24–1.53)*** | 1.63 (1.42–1.86)*** |
| Job-related or financial problem or eviction/loss of housing (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 88.4 | 92.6 | 95.2 | – | – |
| Yes | 11.6 | 7.4 | 4.8 | 0.61 (0.54–0.69)*** | 0.39 (0.32–0.47)*** |
| Criminal or civil legal problem (%) | |||||
| No, not available, unknown | 95.3 | 97.9 | 99.3 | – | – |
| Yes | 4.7 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.43 (0.35–0.52)*** | 0.15 (0.09–0.23)*** |
| Number of crises8, M (SE) | 0.28 (0.01) | 0.28 (0.01) | 0.25 (0.01) | 1.00 (0.94–1.06) | 0.89 (0.82–0.97)** |
Including disorders and syndromes listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) with the exception of alcohol and other substance dependence.
Including illicit drug use, except marijuana, even if addiction or abuse is not specifically mentioned. For marijuana, the use must be noted as chronic, abusive, or problematic.
An addiction other than alcohol or other substance that appears to have contributed to the death (e.g., gambling, sexual).
Including any mental health diagnosis.
Inclusive of pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy/counseling, any class (e.g., anger management) attendance, any facility-based care, and alcohol or narcotics anonymous.
Including any terminal/other illness, debilitating condition, chronic/acute pain, or other physical/functional issue (perceived, or diagnosed) that were relevant to suicide.
Problems with intimate partner and/or other family/relatives, other family stressors, caregiver burden, arguments, or abuse by a caregiver.
Total number of contributing factors that posed a crisis within 2 weeks of death.*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.