“My work is done. Why wait?” Lessons learned from older adults who died by suicide

On March 14, 1932 George Eastman, founder of Kodak, industrialist, entrepreneur, and fabulously wealthy philanthropist wrote these words: “To my friends – my work is done, why wait?” He then pulled a handgun from his bedside table and shot himself to death. Eastman's words convey the gritty self-determination that marked his life. However, they mask other truths that made Eastman at such high risk for suicide – chronic and pro gressive illness, pain, inability to care for himself, social isolation, loss of identity and purpose, hopelessness, and demoralization.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: COMMENTARY Source Type: research