Which client is at the highest risk of suicide?

Which client is at the highest risk of suicide?

• A. Mrs. Hardacre, age 42, with a history of alcohol abuse.
• B. Mrs. Blatchfor, age 49, distressed because her children have moved away from home.
• C. Mr. Tyrell, age 19, upset after his girlfriend broke off their relationship.
• D. Mr. Grimes, age 82, lonely after the death of his wife.

Answer: (D)

Being older and experiencing bereavement with social isolation significantly raises suicide risk, especially for men who have higher rates of completed suicide. The 82-year-old client is lonely after his wife’s death, combining advanced age, widowhood, and isolation—strong risk factors that together make him the most vulnerable. The other scenarios involve distress or substance use, which are risk factors too, but the intensity and combination of factors in this elderly, widowed, isolated man are greater, making him the highest risk.

Being older and experiencing bereavement with social isolation significantly raises suicide risk, especially for men who have higher rates of completed suicide. The 82-year-old client is lonely after his wife’s death, combining advanced age, widowhood, and isolation—strong risk factors that together make him the most vulnerable. The other scenarios involve distress or substance use, which are risk factors too, but the intensity and combination of factors in this elderly, widowed, isolated man are greater, making him the highest risk.