Suicide Concern Over Older People

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This article mentioned the aging group of male from 55 years and above are twice more likely to commit suicide than the women with the same age. Help The Aged Scotland and the Royal College of Nursing had studied that the aging group are receiving lack of support. Liz Duncan, from Help The Aged Scotland, found out the elderly are 10 times into committing suicide than being attacked to dead and the Scottish Executive's Choose Life Strategy, national action plan which launched since 2003 to prevent suicides, have not given enough effort in reducing suicides in this age group. Depression is one of the common problem for the elderly. She included there were 117 old people died of suicides in 2003 and are signing the improvement care system with MSP to solve the elder's depressions.

Functionalism can be applied in this article. Because of age stratification, functionalists view in preindustrial societies, family, work and community were blinked together (Parsons, 1942). However, in industrialization, they are separated through adults to work, children to school and elderly stays anywhere. The elderly group's function has became less important and so their value decreased and can be isolated to the society. Relating to the article, the elderly may not able to produce benefits to the society, they are being social outcasted. However, interactionists focus on nature of prejudice and discrimination against the elderly. Some people put elderly as social stigma, ageism is prejudice about, and discrimination against the old person. Some of the retired people from an active working life engaged in health problems and became a burden to the society. This will weakens the social solidarity between the age group.

In my opinions, the youths should put more efforts on giving support to the elders. With this, they might not feel isolated or depressed, they felt that they are being cared in the society. Therefore, suicide rates may reduce and population will not decline.