Shah A, Elanchenny N, Collinge T
John Connolly Unit, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Med Sci Law. 2001 Apr;41(2):102-6. doi: 10.1177/002580240104100203.
The elderly suicide rate in recent years in England and Wales has been declining for both sexes.
Data on the various suicide variables were ascertained from the annually published mortality data for years 1985 to 1998. Trends in the age band-specific elderly suicide rates in recent years were examined using this data.
The main findings of this study were: (i) there was a decline in the 'pure' and 'combined' suicide rates, for both sexes, for the four five-year age bands between 65 and 85 years, but not for the older age groups; and (ii) for all age bands, male suicide rates were higher than female suicide rates.
The challenge now is to facilitate decline in suicide rates in the very old given that demographic changes imply more people in that age group and absence of current evidence of decline in the very old age bands.
近年来，英格兰和威尔士老年男性和女性的自杀率均呈下降趋势。
从1985年至1998年每年公布的死亡率数据中确定各种自杀变量的数据。利用这些数据研究近年来特定年龄组老年自杀率的趋势。
本研究的主要发现为：（i）65至85岁的四个五年年龄组中，男性和女性的“单纯”和“综合”自杀率均有所下降，但老年组未出现下降；（ii）在所有年龄组中，男性自杀率均高于女性自杀率。
鉴于人口结构变化意味着该年龄组的人数增多，且目前尚无证据表明最年长者的自杀率有所下降，当前面临的挑战是促使最年长者的自杀率下降。
