2. Methods
2.1. Proportion of older people writing suicide notes
The proportion of older people writing suicide note writing was
estimated by using coronial records of all closed cases of suicide
for any person in New Zealand over the age of 65 from 1st July
2007 to 31st December 2012. The current study is part of an elderly
suicide project that was approved by the Ministry of Health’s
Health and Disability Ethics Committee in New Zealand (Reference:
13/STH/95). The lead author approached the Chief Coroner in
August 2013 and his office provided copies of the coronial records
on all elderly cases with a suicide verdict. The coronial records,
including police reports, were reviewed to determine whether a
suicide note was found. Suicide notes were usually discovered as
part of the police investigation which included interviewing the
family and/or friends. We included hand-written or typed suicide
notes but excluded communication in other modalities e.g. verbal
threats of suicide, telephone messages and text messages. Unlike
suicide notes, the presence (or absence) of the other communication
modalities is not routinely commented on in the police
report and/or coronial judgment. It would have resulted in a large
number of “unknowns” if these other modalities were included.
In 2013 there were 607,032 people (14.3% of the population)
over the age of 65 years in New Zealand (Statistics New Zealand,
2013). The latest official suicide rate for the 65þ age group was
7.3 per 100,000 people(Ministry of Health, 2014).