目標：近十幾年來老年人自殺死亡逐年增加，本研究旨在描述自1985至2006年間老人自殺死亡率的長期趨勢，並分析其年代、年齡及世代效應。在人口老化趨勢下，老人自殺議題，應該受到各界的關心及重視。方法：利用行政院衛生署1985-2006年之死因統計資料，透過整理自殺老人(ICD9: E950-959)在性別、年齡、婚姻狀況、和縣市別及所使用之自殺方式與自殺月份的差異，並以Spearman's correlation coefficient及Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test檢定。結果：2006年台灣地區65歲以上老人自殺死亡率為每十萬人口38.84人（其中男性50.78，女性27.18）。針對1985-2006年台灣地區老人自殺死亡率分析，男性自殺率高於女性，約1.69倍；以年齡來看，75歲以上高於65-74歲自殺死亡率，約1.45倍。就婚姻狀況來看，未婚之男性自殺死亡率較高，女生則是喪偶者自殺死亡率較高。以自殺者之自殺方式來看，老人大多採用吊勒方法，其次為固體或液體物質中毒的方法；自1993起，其他如：跳樓、溺水等的自殺死亡式逐漸增加。以自殺者之自殺月份來看，老人自殺多在4-7月（春夏季），而1-2月及12月則較少（冬季）。以縣市別來看，1985年至1992年所有縣市自殺死亡率皆呈下降趨勢；1993年至2006年，大多數的縣市自殺死亡率呈上升趨勢，惟有澎湖縣、桃園縣、高雄縣及宜蘭縣自殺死亡率呈現下降趨勢。世代效應在本研究並未出現，反而是年齡與時期的影響較深。結論：台灣老年人自殺確有愈嚴重的趨勢，加以經濟不景氣，全球金融海嘯影響，自殺防治工作不容延怠。

Objectives: The mortality rate of suicide has increased among the elderly aged 65 years and above in recent years. This study was conducted to examine the long-term trends in elderly suicide mortality in Taiwan from 1985 to 2006 and to analyze the effects of age, time period, and cohort. Since the elderly population is expected to increase rapidly in Taiwan, the issue of the rising mortality rate among the elderly warrants further investigation. Methods: Data used in the analysis were obtained from the Death Certification data file provided by the Department of Health (DOH) from 1985 to 2006 on annual mortality for persons over age 65 with external cause-of-death codes E950-E959 and. Spearman's correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon matchedpair signed-rank test analysis were used to examine the relationship between study year and suicide rate, age, marital status, region as well as method-specific suicide rates for both sexes. Results: The elderly mortality rate of suicide was 38.84/105 (50.78 for male, 27.18 for female) in 2006. From 1985 through 2006, the suicide rate had steadily decreased, but an intriguing reversal has been observed since 1993. The gender ratio among the elderly was 1.69. The mortality rate of suicide rose significantly among those aged 85 years and above. Never married males and windowed females have the highest age-adjusted sex and marital status-specific rates. The modes of suicide changed, with hanging, strangulation, and suffocation most commonly used by bothgenders, but they increased significantly in jumping from a high place and drowning use. Seasonal trends showed a significant peak in April-July. Winter months and the Chinese New Year period had the lowest occurrence. Suicide rates among older Taiwan residents vary by region with the rate increasing in all regions since 1993 expected Penghu, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Ilan county. From an age-period-cohort analysis, the age and period were more important determinants than the cohort was. Conclusions: In conclusion, suicide is a serious issue among the elderly. The public health and social welfare interventions necessary to alleviate this social and human problem cannot be delayed.