Citation

Chan SS, Leung VPY, Tsoh J, Li SW, Yu CS, Yu GK, Poon TK, Pan PC, Chan WF, Conwell Y, Lam LC, Chiu HF. Am. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 2011; 19(2): 185-196.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Castle Peak Hospital; Kwai Chung Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Queen Mary Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Kowloon Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, United Christian Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong; and Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181e56d0f

PMID

20808109

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:: 1) To compare the 2-year completed suicide and reattempt rates in a preintervention group of Hong Kong Chinese suicide attempters (aged 65 years and older) who received standard care and a postintervention group enrolled in a regional elderly suicide prevention program (ESPP) that adopts a two-tiered multifaceted care management model and 2) to examine the trend of suicide rates in older adults aged 65 years and older in the pre- and postintervention periods. DESIGN:: The first part is an observational cohort study with baseline, follow-up, and outcome data being identified from a clinical electronic registry. The second part examines changes in suicide rates from official mortality statistics. SETTING:: A government-funded suicide intervention program serving catchment population (852,796 people aged 65 years and older) in Hong Kong, China. PARTICIPANTS:: Suicide attempters (aged 65 years and older) presenting to old-age psychiatric service in the pre- and postintervention phases. MEASUREMENTS:: 1) Two-year rates of completed suicide and suicide reattempt and 2) changes in population suicide rates in the pre- and postintervention periods. RESULTS:: The 2-year completed suicide rate was 7.58% in the preintervention group (N = 66) and 1.99% in the ESPP group (N = 351) (chi = 6.192; p value: 0.028; df = 1). Reattempt rates were not different. At a population level, suicide rate dropped significantly only in women aged 85 years and older, relative to the preintervention period. CONCLUSIONS:: The ESPP was associated with a reduced rate of completed suicide in old-age suicide attempters and might have contributed to a fall of suicide rate in women aged 85 years and older.

Language: en