A Century of Suicide in Italy: A Comparison between the Old and the Young

This study analyzes suicide rates from 1887 to 1993 in the Italian population between the ages of 15 and 24 years old and over 65 years of age, based on official data published in the Health Statistics Year Book. The rates of death by suicide (per 100,000) subjects) are calculated for each year and for 10-year periods, as are the mortality rates relative to each method of suicide, standardized by gender. The latter analysis was possible starting from 1951 only, when it became customary to record method. The findings indicate an increase in the suicide phenomenon in the elderly population in Italy over the test period. Rates are at least 3 times higher for men than for women. The highest rates are reported for elderly men, but there appears to have been a greater proportional increase in the number of suicides committed by elderly women. The rise was statistically significant in both males and females. By contrast, a rather constant decrease in suicide rates in young people emerges from the beginning of the century through to the present date. This decrease is more marked in females, although suicide rates are lower for females than for males. Over the study period, substantial changes have come about in the suicide methods used by both young and old people. There was an increase in poisoning by care exhaust fumes, jumping from heights, hanging, and firearms.     

The Opinions of GP's Patients About Suicide,Assisted Suicide,Euthanasia, and Suicide Prevention: An Italian Survey

A survey about opinions on end‐of‐life issues of a population represented by 1,171 people in the waiting room of general practitioners' surgeries was conducted in a province of northern Italy. Most subjects did not consider suicide as a reasonable option even in cases of a serious and incurable disease. Moreover, subjects did not consider euthanasia as a possible option either; however, they did express an opposite attitude when considering euthanasia in a third‐person perspective. People with a personal history of suicidal behavior appear to present as a different population, overall expressing more open attitudes.     

A Controlled Study of Suicide in Middle‐Aged and Older People: Personality Traits,Age, and Psychiatric Disorders

Personality traits were examined using the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory–Revised in an Australian psychological autopsy study involving 259 suicide deaths and 181 sudden death controls aged 35 years and over. Interviews included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV to determine the presence of psychiatric disorder. Personality traits of suicide deaths differed significantly from those of controls, scoring higher in the Neuroticism and Openness to Experience domains and lower on the Agreeableness and Extraversion domains. These findings varied with the presence of psychiatric disorder and by age. High Neuroticism scores were the most consistent finding in people who died by suicide, although these scores decreased in older suicides.