Age.
In a calculation including the greater part of Europe, the effect of age is found to be such that the proportion of suicide increases from childhood up to about fifty-five years of age, and then declines very uniformly.
The largest numbers occur in the years between forty and fifty.
Taking both sexes together, the period of life which exhibits by far the most cases extends from twenty-one to sixty years of age.
The male tendency comes to its maximum after forty years of age.
The female tendency comes to its maximum before thirty years of age.
In England the ratio of female suicide between the years of fifteen and twenty exceeds the male by more than one-tenth. In Italy it has been observed the rate becomes high, at an earlier age than in Europe generally. Youth is a fertile suicide stage, and after a stationary period at a high rate, there comes another period marking the decay of mind and the declension of life; in this, man has but a short future to regard, and he prefers to await a natural end, especially as at this time of life the religious feelings, often clouded over by the struggles of middle life, again shine clear. Esquirol wrote, “La vieillesse, qui inspire à l’homme le desir de vivre, parcequ’il est plus près du terme de la vie, est rarement exposée au suicide.” See “Maladies mentales.” There exists, however, some confusion in the matter, due to associating actual numbers with per-centages at various ages, inasmuch as Legoyt insists that the amount increases absolutely with age.
The Registrar General for England has stated that the suicidal tendency with regard to age increases with the advance of age to the 65-75 decennial period, and that it then diminishes, still however remaining very great; in this country then the amount does not decrease at such an early age, as in most of the countries of Europe.
I add as an example, the Swedish proportions during the several periods of life, to show the rate for age:
| Age. | Male. | Female. |
|---|---|---|
| To 16 years | 3·5 | 0·9 |
| 16 to 20 years | 19·1 | 8·8 |
| 21 to 30 years | 91·3 | 29·2 |
| 31 to 40 years | 161·3 | 23·2 |
| 41 to 50 years | 206·3 | 35·0 |
| 51 to 60 years | 201·7 | 34·2 |
| 61 to 70 years | 146·3 | 27·9 |
| Beyond 70 years | 93·7 | 19·4 |
In New York, during 1883, of 151 cases, 9 were under twenty years of age, and 5 over seventy years.