Suicide has been said to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It has been estimated for every successful suicide, there is between two hundred to three hundred people who will attempt it (Vannetta 1996). According to statistics provided by National Center for Health Statistics (2000) the suicide rate has increased almost three hundred percent. In the 1950's the suicide rate was 4.5 per 100,000. This rate has increased to about 11.1 per 100,000. Suicide happens every 17 minutes and is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. It outnumbers homicides by 5 to 3 and has twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS. At a ratio of 4:1, more men than women are successful at completing suicide; although more women will attempt suicide. The self may be an important link to why some of the population commits suicide. Self-concept is important in a person's ability to handle the little changes that threaten the norms of our individuality. "The relative strength of contingent and noncontingent components of the self-concept vary by age and sex, thereby, creating varying vulnerabilities to identify threat," stated Girard (1993 p.555). The gender differences are clear between men and women also. When committing suicide, men seek more aggressive means, and as stated earlier, are more successful than women. Perhaps the avenue of expression each sex takes to attain their respective self-concept is a key to why so many people attempt or commit suicide within our society.
             Suicide is a problem that is felt all over the span of the life cycle. It is a problem that has been seen across all age groups. According to McCall (1991), the suicide rates among people 65 or over had declined 42% between the years 1950 – 1990. The Center Of Disease Control reports the rate for elderly people has increased for the first time since the 1940's. Older adults make up approximately 13% of our population, they account for a...