Almost one in three elderly Chinese have contemplated suicide

In a study of 263 people over 50 years of age in Mianyang, Sichuan, the lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation was 28.9%, planning 11.4% and attempt 5.3%  respectively. The corresponding 12-month prevalence was 8.8% for ideation,  2.7% for planning and 0% for attempting suicide, respectively.

Correlates of suicidal thoughts/behaviors of this group are similar to findings from other community studies, such as female gender, unmarried status, major medical conditions, insomnia, financial difficulties and lower education, depressive symptoms, recent stressful life events, greater life dissatisfaction.

Read more: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 27: 1124