Elderly suicide in India

Abstract

Purpose: The elderly are facing many problems in the phase of life in the contemporary times. The problem of suicide among the elderly is one of them. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the cause of death due to suicide among the elderly in later life. There are two objectives of the present study. The first objective examines the nature and problem of elderly suicide in Indian society. The second objective explores the factors affecting suicidal tendency among the elderly. Design/methodology/approach: The data have been collected through two newspapers from January 2013 to April 2013. The content of news items has been analysed through content analysis. Findings: The study finds out that the factors such as family problems, chronic diseases, poverty, lack of social status and bankruptcy give rise to feeling of committing suicide among the elderly. Originality/value: This is an original paper.