Study claims China’s elderly 7 times more likely to commit suicide than rest of population
A recent study may further fuel worries about China’s aging population. It is claimed those aged 65 and above are seven times more likely to commit suicide than any other age group in China. Fan Peizhen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Taiwan’s National Yangming University highlighted these sobering results at the Lancet-China Academy for Medical Sciences conference in Beijing on the 27th of October. According to the research, from 2006 to 2015, the suicide rate of people, who are within the 65+ age bracket and live in rural areas, increased significantly from 21.99 to 65.60 per 100,000 people. The rate for urban counterparts within the same age group also rose in the same period 13.17 to 41.09 in 2015 per 100,000 people. Fan attributes this high suicide rate among older generations to feelings of isolation, depression as well as fears of burdening younger relatives. The striking results in the rural regions appears to reflect on a great consequence of China’s mass rural-to-urban migration, which has resulted in elderly people being increasingly left behind in the countryside while younger family members seek employment in the cities.
China is exerting much effort to overcome challenges posed by its aging population. For example, in January 2018, 14 government ministries announced schemes to draw attention to the phenomenon and develop solutions for giving adequate support to elderly. Those behind the study recommend more must be done to create a sense of belonging and purpose amongst the older generation.
