Suicide striking elderly, middle aged

VALPARAISO | Karen Lawrence said while she did not recognize it at the time, her older brother, Ken Stratton, displayed many of the classic signs of an impending suicide.

He had stopped taking his antidepressant medication and twice attempted to take his life before following through by hanging himself Oct. 6, 2006.

Just months away from his 45th birthday, Stratton was about to join an emerging group of 45- to 54-year-olds who are at particularly high risk for suicide nationally, according to information provided by Steve Butera, a member of the Northwest Indiana Suicide Prevention Council.

The group at the highest risk in this country are white men 80 years or older, Butera said. The suicide rate among this group is six times the overall rate and three times as high as black men the same age, Butera said.

Just one of the 19 suicides in Porter County so far this year involved someone (a man) 80 or older, yet 10 others were 45 or older, according to the coroner's office.

Lake County reported two men and one woman older than 80 among its 39 suicides so far this year. Another 19 of those individuals were 45 or older.

The number of suicides in both counties are on track this year to fall short of recent highs as Sunday's start to National Suicide Prevention Week approaches.

The high rate of suicide among 45- to 54-year-olds is attributed to stress factors such as job loss, as well as alcohol and substance abuse, Butera said. Men in this group are at particular risk because they are not socialized to seek help.

"So they're sitting there on their own and that's no good," he said.

More elderly men are at risk because of all the changes they are facing, including declining health and mobility, financial concerns and loss of loved ones, Butera said.

The elderly tend to die more often as a result of suicide attempts because they use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hangings and poison, he said.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that while about 90 people take their lives each day in the United States, another 2,300 attempt to do so.

The local suicide council, which was formed a few years ago as part of a statewide effort that brought together for the first time various individuals and entities across Porter, Lake, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties, is focusing on this older population as part of its third annual conference set for Nov. 4 at Purdue University Calumet's Alumni Hall.

Suicide Prevention Council member Sandy Appleby said the group offers training for what are referred to as "gatekeepers" or those in a position of detecting warning signs of suicide.

This group of "gatekeepers" includes physicians and nurses, who are treating those suffering from depression or other forms of mental illness, she said.

Appleby described suicide as a journey and said it is like floating down a river that starts flowing more quickly and pulling away the security of flotation devices such as family, faith and job.

"It's the factors of one's life that keep us well," she said.