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Suicidal attempts and thoughts are particularly relevant to the health of the elderly and can impact not only the individual, but family, friends and spouses as well. This topic is important for the gerontological research community, particularly as it relates to social isolation and the feeling of loneliness, common in this population group. The purpose of this paper is to investigate new knowledge about the relationship between an increased risk of suicide in the elderly and social isolation or loneliness.

An extensive search was conducted to find relevant studies to answer the research question. Database research was done in PubMed and PsycINFO for relevant studies within the last 10 years. The title and abstract of relevant articles were screened before the full-text was acquired.

In PubMed 163 studies were identified, and in PsycINFO 66 studies were identified. After a thorough screening, nine studies were found to be appropriate for this study.

It is not clear which risk factor leads to an increase in suicidal thoughts and attempts, however most studies contemplated loneliness and isolation as a covariant. A causal link between the concepts is not simple. Nevertheless, loneliness and isolation seem to be relevant factors for suicidal ideations.

In the 1980s, globalisation was much vaunted as offering the Western world a dazzling new array of business opportunities. In the 1990s, however, the negative impact on the labour market has become all too evident. A look at Germany’s labour statistics shows a frightening picture of massive job destruction in the wake of globalisation. As firms contend with heightened international competition and incomparably low wages in the former Eastern bloc and Asia, they have turned almost ubiquitously to cost‐cutting through shedding labour inside Germany itself. Jobs either disappear altogether or are relocated. Karl Marx’s predictions about capitalism are eventuating in a process by which firms become ever more profitable, but at a cost of large‐scale unemployment. Through computerisation, strategic alliances, the manipulation of trade unions and so on, the process of rationalisation and wage reduction proceeds at an alarming pace. If grave social consequences are to be averted, the problem needs to be tackled on several fronts simultaneously. Attitudinal changes on the part of both management and workers, a modified taxation regime, better public relations about Germany as an industrial location and various other strategies offer some hope to a country that is clearly undergoing a globalisation crisis.