Elderly suicide in Hong Kong--a case-controlled psychological autopsy study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine some of the risk factors for late life suicide in Hong Kong Chinese using a case-controlled psychological autopsy approach.

METHOD

Informants of 70 subjects aged 60 or above who had committed suicide as well as a community sample of 100 elderly controls were interviewed. Subjects and controls were assessed for the presence of mental illness, history of suicide attempt and data on health care utilization.

RESULTS

Eighty-six per cent of suicide subjects suffered from a psychiatric problem before committing suicide, compared with 9% of control subjects. Among the psychiatric problems, major depression was the commonest diagnosis. Seventy-seven per cent of suicide subjects had consulted a doctor within 1 month of suicide. One-third of suicide subjects had a history of suicide attempt. Rates of current psychiatric diagnosis, rates of medical consultation and history of suicide attempt are all significantly higher in suicide subjects than controls.

CONCLUSION

Our findings support the view that depressive disorders and a past history of suicide attempt are risk factors of late-life suicide in the Chinese population of Hong Kong, similar to findings in western studies.