[Suicidal behavior in the elderly].

Major depression is an often unrecognized cause of suicide in the elderly. The high risk of suicide is not realized early enough and depression not treated rigorously. The most common initiating events are marital conflict, social isolation, loneliness, physical illness and conflicts with relatives, especially children. Socio-cultural influences and the role of elderly people in society have a significant relevance for the incidence of suicide in the elderly. "Considered" suicides are less common than is often assumed. The treatment of suicidal elderly people must involve the whole life situation, requiring a critical rethinking and a change in the attitude of society towards old age, suffering and dying.