[Completed suicide and depression in the elderly].

The aim of the study was to present problems of completed suicide and depression in the elderly. Postmortem examinations were conducted in the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Jagiellonian University. The analysis included cases of completed suicide in adults, from which all the cases of individuals aged over 65 who in the years 1998, 1999, and 2000 committed suicide within the area of Kraków the City were selected for the present study. The examined group consisted of 92 individuals ranging in age from 65 to 89 years, including 34 females and 58 males. The mean age was 72.5 for the entire group. 44.5% of the subjects had resided in a big city (Kraków); the remainder of the group had resided in villages and towns around Kraków. 57.6% of the subjects committed suicide by hanging, 16.3%--by falling from a height, and 13%--by drowning. In the majority of cases (77.2%), the suicide was committed at home. In 17 cases (18.5%), the post mortem revealed the presence of alcohol. As regards somatic diseases in the examined population, the data from the anamnesis (often incomplete) indicate frequent occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. 43.5% of the subjects, who committed suicide, had been treated for mental disorders, mainly for depression, organic brain disorders, and alcohol addiction. 17 of the subjects (18.5%) had previously attempted to commit suicide. The above results indicate that a typical representative of the elderly committing suicide is a septuagenarian residing in the country or in a small town, and most typically committing suicide by hanging at home. The attention must be paid to the high number of mental disorders, especially depression, detected among both male and female subjects. The close relation between suicide and depression in the elderly is an important guideline on suicide prevention programs and therapy of psychogeriatric patients.