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Elderly Suicide and Prescription drugs
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Elderly people make up about 10-13% of the U.S. population. To many people, growing old is something that is suppose to be a time of serenity, relaxing and enjoying life. Even though this is what retirement is about, a lot of elderly people do not get to enjoy a carefree life after retirement. People who are older have things to worry about just like everyone else. Elderly people make up 13% of the population, but account for 25% of all suicides. Also, as many as 75% of depressed older Americans are not receiving the proper care for their conditions. Older people are also usually more serious about suicide than any other group. Firearms account for 71% of the suicides. First, many elderly people have an illness or complication that they have to take care of and address. Elderly people have to pay for a lot of different medications and pills. Some older people do not have insurance or Medicare and are paying extremely high cost for medication. A study done by Families USA found that the cost per prescription for seniors rose by 48%($28.50-$42.00) between 1992 and 2000 and is expected to rise an additional 72% by 2010 (Schultz 2001). Drug companies say that they must charge high prices for new drugs and boost prices for existing ones because research costs keep rising (Schultz 2001). With these illnesses and other complications some seniors may experience different levels of depression. Suicide, especially among seniors is a killer. At any given time, 15% of people over 65 have significant depression (Harvard Mental Health Letter).
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