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Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 249-254, 2003
© 2003 Medical Council on Alcohol

ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND MISUSE IN ELDERLY SUICIDES

Margda Waern

Section of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden

Received 7 October 2002; first review notified 1 December 2002; accepted 18 December 2002

Aims: To assess suicide risk associated with alcohol use disorder in elderly men and women, and to examine the role of social stressors in elderly suicides with and without alcohol use disorders. Methods: This retrospective case–control study included 85 suicide cases aged 65 years and above (46 men, 39 women) and 153 randomly selected population controls (84 men, 69 women). Interviews were carried out with control persons and with informants for the suicide cases. Mental disorders were diagnosed in accordance to DSM-IV. Results: A history of alcohol dependence or misuse was observed in 35% of the elderly men who died by suicide and in 18% of the women. This disorder was uncommon among persons in the control group (2% of the men and 1% of the women). Alcohol use disorder remained an independent predictor of suicide risk in the regression models for both sexes. Among suicide cases, those with alcohol use disorders were younger and less likely to be suffering from severe physical illness (35 vs 63%) than those without this disorder. Conclusion: Alcohol use disorder is associated with suicide in elderly men and women. Prevention programmes need to target this important subgroup.


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