The purpose of this research is to examine the psychosocial factors that have permeated the suicide of elderly people in Teresina, through a retrospective investigation of aspects of his/her life before self-extermination and the reconstitution of the risk factors for suicide. This is a qualitative descriptive and exploratory research. Psychosocial autopsies of five cases of elderly suicides that had occurred in the period of 2004-2009 were made. This method combines three types of information: personal identification card, social genogram and semi-structured interview. The collection was made possible by the report of five individuals, family, and relatives who were close to the elderly. The material obtained has undergone three stages: pre-analysis, qualitative analysis and analytical synthesis. Thus, the main risk factors associated with the suicide of these seniors were depression, severe mental illness, stigma related to aging, alcoholism, selfmutilation, impulsivity, fragile affective relationships and life history marked by tragic events.
Suicide; Aging; Suicide prevention; Depression; Self destructive behavior
