Elderly suicide and the 2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong

Abstract

The SARS epidemic was associated with increased risk of completed suicide in female elders, but not in male elders or the population under 65 years of age.

A revisit on older adults suicides and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Hong Kong

“…There were 1,264 deaths in 2003, of which 321 suicide deaths were committed by people aged over 65. Only 288 of those were included in Chan et al (2006). This discrepancy was mainly caused by the underreporting, especially in the last quarter (October to December) of the year, due to the Coroners' Court investigation.…”

“…This discrepancy was mainly caused by the underreporting, especially in the last quarter (October to December) of the year, due to the Coroners' Court investigation. In order to make the analysis comparable to Chan et al (2006) 1993, 1994 . .…”

“…For instance, the 2003 'known deaths' data file cannot include cases which have not been registered before the cut-off date imposed by the Census and Statistics Department (June, the following year). The conclusion on the seasonality of suicide in 2003 based on the incomplete data in Chan et al (2006) would not be valid. Here, it is necessary to use a completed 2003 suicide data to examine the seasonality.…”

“…The high fatality rate among elderly SARS patients not only posed a serious threat to the physical health of the older adults population in Hong Kong (The Hong Kong Geriatrics Society, 2003), but also resulted in mental health issues among the older adults as the epidemic had aroused much public fear and anxiety during its outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 (Chan, 2004;Person et al, 2004;Chung, 2003;Liu et al, 2004). Chan et al (2006) highlighted a spike in the suicide rate among older adults in Hong Kong in 2003-a 31.7% increase from 2002 and the peak was found in April which was also the peak of the epidemic. They suggested that there is a relationship between SARS and the etiology of older adults suicides.…”

Prevalence of clinically significant depressive symptoms in an epidemiologic sample of community‐dwelling elders with milder forms of cognitive impairment in Hong Kong SAR

“…For instance, male elders were less likely engaged in generic health care and social service than female elders in our community. A local suicide prevention program for elders has been enrolling predominantly female elders despite the fact that majority of elderly who committed suicide were male (Chan et al, 2006). Other plausible factors include poorer social support among male elders, male elders' cultural attributes of autonomy and dignity as the core existential value, or the resistance to psychological and physical dependency on others when faced with adverse social and physical health conditions.…”