MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDayNews) -- As alcoholics age, they face an increased risk of suicide.

So says a study in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The study found middle-age and older alcoholics have a greater suicide risk than young alcoholic adults.

"Alcoholism is a common disorder and is also a potent risk factor for suicide. This was the first study of a sample of adults across the age spectrum that explicitly focused on factors that increase the risk for suicide and medically serious suicide attempts associated with alcohol dependence," study author Kenneth R. Conner, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says in a news release.

The researchers examined data collected in New Zealand on 193 adults (18 or older) who committed suicide and 240 adults who made a "medically serious" suicide attempt. That's defined as a suicide attempt that required hospital admission for at least 24 hours and met certain treatment criteria.

The study found the association between alcohol dependence and suicide becomes amplified with age, while the association between alcohol dependence and medically serious suicide attempts does not increase with age.

The study also concluded that increased age also appears to amplify the association between mood disorders and suicide, while decreased age seems to strengthen the association between mood disorders and medically serious suicide attempts.

"In most countries, risk for attempted suicide is highest among adolescents and young adults, whereas the risk for completed suicide is highest among older adults. This study's findings -- that alcohol-dependent middle-aged and older adults are at greater risk for suicide than alcohol-dependent young adults -- reinforce the notion of different age-related patterns in attempted suicide and completed suicide," Conner says.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about suicide.