Psychiatry Investig.
2016 Mar;13(2):184-189. 10.4306/pi.2016.13.2.184.
Trends in Suicide Methods and Rates among Older Adults in South Korea: A Comparison with Japan
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 2Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- 3Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- 4Department of Psychology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. suhurhong@gmail.com
- KMID: 2316613
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2016.13.2.184
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Lethality of the chosen method during a suicide attempt is a strong risk factor for completion of suicide. We examined whether annual changes in the pattern of suicide methods is related to annual changes in suicide rates among older adults in South Korea and Japan.
METHODS
We analyzed annual the World Health Organization data on rates and methods of suicide from 2000 to 2011 in South Korea and Japan.
RESULTS
For Korean older adults, there was a significant positive correlation between suicide rate and the rate of hanging or the rate of jumping, and a significant negative correlation between suicide rate and the rate of poisoning. Among older adults in Japan, annual changes in the suicide rate and the pattern of suicide methods were less conspicuous, and no correlation was found between them.
CONCLUSION
The results of the present study suggest that the increasing use of lethal suicide methods has contributed to the rise in suicide rates among older adults in South Korea. Targeted efforts to reduce the social acceptability and accessibility of lethal suicide methods might lead to lower suicide rate among older adults in South Korea.
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