Physician-assisted suicide among older adults in Austria (2022-2023): Sociodemographic and comorbidity profile
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In 2022, Austria legalised physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Among 1,847,919 older adults, there were 92 PAS and 977 unassisted suicides (UAS) in 2022-2023. Compared to the general population, older adults who died by either PAS or UAS, were older and more likely to live alone. Compared with UAS, older adults who died by PAS were more likely to be female, higher-educated, live in urban areas, and diagnosed with cancer, or diseases of the nervous system, and less likely diagnosed with mental/ behavioural disorders. PAS and UAS among older adults in Austria showed different sociodemographic and comorbidity characteristics.
