Attempted suicide by elderly Chinese in Singapore

Abstract

Background: There is a paucity of data on attempted suicide by elderly people in Asian countries. The present paper compares suicide attempts of elderly and young Chinese living in Singapore. Methods: The present study was conducted in a general hospital from 1991 to 2000. All patients were interviewed by a psychiatrist and diagnoses were based on the 3rd edn (revised) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (of Mental Health disorders) (DSM III R) or 4th edn of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (of Mental Health disorders) (DSM IV) classification. As well as demographic data, reasons for the suicide attempt and methods used were noted. Results: In the 10 years of the study there were 1568 young (64 years and younger) and 61 elderly (65 years and older) Chinese patients. The male to female ratio was the same in each group. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that the elderly were more likely to have ingested benzodiazepines (OR: 3.19, CI: 1.34-7.57, P = 0.009), to have a diagnosis of depression (OR: 464, CI: 1.94-11.10, P = 0.001) and to suffer from a physical illness than were the young (OR: 4.39, CI: 1.92-10.04, P=0.000). Conclusion: The majority of Chinese elderly who attempted suicide had depression and were more likely to have been prescribed benzodiazepines than antidepressants. Prevention strategies in the future should include training programs for doctors to enable them to identify depression and treat depression effectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)