: A number of elderly patients commit suicide due to the interaction of various factors, including, for example, feelings of loneliness, financial distress, alcohol abuse, chronic pain, progressive diseases, and personality disorders. The data from the EU countries with the highest rates of suicide and suicide attempts among people over 55 years of age warrant the consideration of new approaches to address this social problem.Methods: PubMed and other databases, including Polish National data, were used for the analyses.Results: The average European suicide-attempt rate is 18 per 100 thousand inhabitants. More cases of suicides were reported among those over 55 years of age. Suicide attempts from the year 2012 to 2014 and deaths in 2012 have been reviewed. The risk factors involved in these events, such as depression and social situations including loneliness, health condition, etc., have been discussed to suggest a plausible preventative approach for this important elderly problem.Conclusion: The psychophysiology of elderly persons affected by retirement, socio-economic changes, limited personal autonomy, loneliness, lack of support by the family, and diseases ultimately may lead elderly patients to commit suicide. Thus, financial freedom, family support (respect, love, and care), proper medications, psychological and psychiatric interventions may help the elderly avoid suicidal thoughts and prevent attempts.

Suicides are a major problem in the modern world. In the literature, they are investigated in their sociological, psychological, health-related, and criminological aspects. The age of the people committing suicide is diverse, with the most vulnerable groups being children and the elderly. Aging is a natural and universal process of life. The changes it causes are gradual, but irreversible at the same time. They involve many spheres of life of an individual. In today’s world, there is a cult of youth, resulting in the elderly not being fully respected by the society. Especially in the urban environment, an elderly person is frequently treated as anonymous and often decrepit. The manner in which they generally conform to the requirements of reality influences their aging in a positive or negative way. Retirement, socioeconomic consequences, reduction of life autonomy, the felt loneliness, lack of support on the part of relatives, and diseases may ultimately push an elderly person to committing suicide. Using the Scopus, Wiley Online Library, PubMed and Web of Science repositories in the current study we have carried out an analysis of research literature from 2014–2015 in regard to suicide risk factors and specificity among the elderly.

The purpose of article is to present the relationship between personality traits, a sense of self-efficacy and the level of stress versus the dimensions of occupational burnout in the group of high-risk occupations. Material and methods: In the study took part 360 people. The study...

Introduction: The work of firemen is characterised by many dangers. These include actions that may often have a negative impact on health and even life. Frequent exposure to emotionally encumbering events can lead, among others, to symptoms of professional burnout. Objectives: The aim of the...