Even today, the pastor has no explanation for it, no idea what led a longtime deacon and Sunday School teacher at his church to commit suicide.
“It was so out of character for this man,” he said. “You talk about a rock — this man never shirked a duty. He was one who seemed to have an unlimited supply of wisdom. And there was no doubt about his relationship with the Lord — he lived it every day.”
According to the man’s family, he had gotten up that morning and gone through the same routine he had for years. His wife left for only a little while, and when she returned home, she found her husband dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“There was no signal, no sign,” the pastor said. “That’s what was so shocking about it.”
Though many people associate suicide primarily with teenagers, the rate of suicide among the elderly has increased over the last 20 years.
According to a study published in 2002 by the National Center for Health Statistics, between 1980 and 1998, the largest relative increases in suicide rates occurred among those 80 to 84 years of age.
The study also reports that the rate of suicide is higher for elderly white men than for any other age group, including adolescents.
According to Richard Powers, a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist who is the director of the Alabama Department of Mental Health Bureau of Geriatric Psychiatry, untreated depression is the No. 1 risk factor for suicide in older adults.
“The majority of people over the age of 65 who kill themselves are suffering from depression,” Powers said. “There’s no doubt that depression is a biological problem that must be viewed the same way we do any other potentially life-threatening illness — that is, we need to encourage people to be treated.”
While many Christians consider suicide a sin, Powers believes that suicide, especially in the elderly, is not the result of a spiritual deficit but of a brain-chemical deficit.
“Depression is not something you bring on yourself,” he said. “Depression is not a disorder of the soul; it is a brain and mind malfunction.”
Powers said the burden of depression robs the sufferer of hope and interrupts the person’s ability to think rationally. “Depression robs you of the sense that things will get better and often convinces you that your family will be better off if you are dead. That’s not logical thinking.”
Though not all individuals suffering from depression will attempt suicide, signs of depression combined with other behaviors should be considered warning signs. For example, a suicidal person may talk about or seem preoccupied with death. The person may give away prized possessions; have an increased use of alcohol, drugs or other medications; or acquire a weapon. If these warning signs are present, experts urge caregivers to get involved and seek treatment for their loved one.
Bob Hines, a member of the Alabama Suicide Prevention Task Force, said many avenues of help are available for individuals who are having suicidal thoughts and for family members, caregivers or other friends who fear a loved one is depressed or suicidal.
One free and easily accessible resource is the TALK line, 1-800-273-TALK. The TALK line is a national hotline that offers immediate crisis help and referrals to services in the caller’s local area.
“It’s a line where people can get some help, whether by talking confidentially to a counselor about themselves or others or by finding out about counseling opportunities in their communities,” Hines said.
Talking to someone is often the first step in seeking treatment for depression that might lead to suicidal thoughts.
“If I could go back and talk to this brother, I would probably urge him to find someone to talk to,” said the pastor whose church is still grieving the loss of their deacon, Sunday School teacher and friend. “It doesn’t have to be a pastor or someone with a psychiatry degree. There are a lot of good people out there who can stop talking long enough to listen.”
The pastor added that he would encourage anyone not to make that decision spur-of-the-moment. “Weigh it out. Think of your family. Talk to God. There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘I am the Light of the World.’ It may be a dark time, but God is always the light at the end of the tunnel.”
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