AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC PROFILE OF ELDERLY SUICIDES IN HONG-KONG

Suicide rates in Hong Kong increased with age, and the highest suicide rate occurred among the oldest age groups. Hong Kong has one of the h ighest elderly suicide rates in the world. The elderly suicide rate wa s four to five times above the average. Furthermore, gender difference s were observed among different marital status groups. For example, si ngle males had a much higher rate than single females and married male s had a higher rate than their widowed counterparts. The suicide rate for an economically inactive person was six times higher than for an a ctive one. Jumping has become increasingly common and seems to substit ute for other methods of suicide. Winter months and the Chinese New Ye ar period had the lowest suicide occurrence. Some explanations are giv en. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.