Attempted suicide by Chinese elderly in Hong Kong.
There is little information on attempted suicide in the elderly, especially among Chinese populations. Fifty-five elderly with suicidal attempts seen in a psychiatric unit in Hong Kong over a 2 1/2 year period were studied. The risk of suicidal attempt remained high after age 75 and only declined after 85. In contrast to western societies, self-injury was more common than self-poisoning. About half of the patients suffered from a mood disorder but very few had dementia. At follow-up 1 1/2-4 years after the suicidal attempt, the rate of repetition was 3.6% and the rate of completed suicide was 5.5%.
Chiu
H F
HF
Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Lam
L C
LC
Pang
A H
AH
Leung
C M
CM
Wong
C K
CK
D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012008:Recurrence; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome