Senior Suicide Rates Among Coloradans are Three Times Higher Than Teenagers

In four years, the suicide rate among young people ages 10-18 has dropped to 5.85 per 100,000 people from about 12.9 four years ago. But the rate among Coloradans ages 65-74 has been about the same for at least a decade, now at 22.5 deaths per 100,000. And for those 75 and up, it’s 28.13, highlighting a persistent and concerning trend in senior suicides across the state.

Physical decline often triggers the onset of depression in older Coloradans. Many of these individuals previously led active lifestyles, contributing to a higher rate of suicide among seniors in Colorado compared to the national average.

In mountain towns, older Coloradans are struggling not only with losing physical abilities, but also with how their communities are changing as new people move in and everything feels bigger and busier, said Kady Svitak, a licensed clinical social worker at Vail Health Behavioral Health. One of the main reasons older adults seek mental health care is to cope with grief and loss, not necessarily due to a death, but rather the grief and loss of their past selves. “Not only is the community changing, but they are changing,” Svitak said.

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