The alcohol-suicide connection in late life.

The many losses and stresses of late life, often accompanied by feelings of loneliness and depression, make the elderly especially vulnerable to alcoholism and suicide. The elderly alcoholic is at significant risk for suicide. The major factors in geriatric alcoholism and suicide are depression (manifested by changes in sleeping and eating patterns, somatic complaints, and apathy), stress and loss, and helplessness and hopelessness. Alcoholism in the elderly can be detected and effectively treated, thus reducing the risk of suicide. Family and friends, physicians, and society all have a role in preventing alcoholism in the elderly.