title: Patients committing suicide whilst under the care of the elderly suicide prevention programme of a regional hospital in Hong Kong.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the risk factors for suicide in elderly Hong Kong Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case notes, mortality reports and hospital records of all the patients, who committed suicide from 1 July 2002 to 31 March 2010 whilst under the active care of the Elderly Suicide Prevention Programme of the Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong, were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1230 elderly with high risk of suicide were assessed and treated from 1 July 2002 to March 2010. A total of 8 patients in this programme who committed suicide during this period were identified, of whom 63% were male and the most frequent method employed was jumping from a height. All the suicides ensued within the first 6 weeks of treatment under the programme. All these patients were diagnosed to have a depressive illness, and all but 1 had an associated physical illness that possibly precipitated the suicide. They had all been admitted to either a mental or general hospital, about 1 month before committing suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The first 2 months of treatment is associated with the highest risk of suicide. Intensive care and support with proper education about effects of antidepressants, and the building-up of a trusted therapeutic alliance with close relatives are particularly important in this vulnerable period.
authors.affiliation: Castle Peak Hospital, Tuen Mun, Hong, Kong SAR, China. wmc009@ha.org.hk
authors.forename: M M C
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Tsui
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention