Older white men have the highest suicide rate in the country. Many, alone after the death of a spouse, may be ill prepared to mourn their loss and face life on their own.
On the morning of Nov. 6, 1998, the wife of 56-year-old Robert Lopez died in a convalescent home after a long struggle with cancer.
Lopez, who was by her side at the end, accepted the condolences of the nurses, went home to his modest house in Rancho Cordova, Calif., and shot himself once in the head with his .22 Winchester rifle.
SOLUTION TO HEARTBREAK?
He was one of an unknown number of older American husbands who take their lives rather than face life without their spouses. Men, more so than women, have a hard time dealing with the heartbreak, according to Dr. Patrick Arbore of the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention in San Francisco.
"Men are very production-oriented and not process-oriented. They tend to build work relationships rather than personal relationships and often do not have the vocabulary to express grief," he said.
SUICIDES EXPECTED TO DOUBLE
Nobody knows how many cases of fatal heartbreak occur every year in the country, but figures from the National Institute of Mental Health show that the highest suicide rate is among white men over 85 years old -- a rate six times that of the rest of the population. About 6,000 Americans over the age of 65 take their lives every year -- a rate expected to double by 2,030 as more baby boomers enter the ranks of the retired.
Older white men have the highest suicide rate in the country. Many, alone after the death of a spouse, may be ill prepared to mourn their loss and face life on their own.
