4 Being Suicidal and Elderly in Changing Times: A Case History

Mr. Andrew A, at age 67, is a physically well and mentally active man who is involved in business failures and marital conflicts, which brought him dangerously close to precipitating his own demise. He is different from my other elderly suicidal patients, most of whom were ill, disabled, and in decline. They were grieving for many reasons, such as the loss of a spouse or — frequently — themselves as they had been. Andrew's story has hopeful implications for the changing nature of aging and suicide that extend beyond himself as an individual or my interventions as a therapist.