Citation

Yip PS, Liu KY, Law CK. Crisis 2008; 29(3): 131-136.

Affiliation

Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. sfpyip@hku.hk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18714909

Abstract

Suicide is an important public health problem in China: It is the fifth leading cause of death in China, and suicide in China accounts for over 30% of the world's overall suicide deaths. The substantial burden due to suicide has not been well recognized. This study aims to provide an estimate of the socioeconomic burden of the suicide problem in China in terms of years of life lost (YLL) and to discuss its implications. Suicide rates and the related YLL by age, gender, and region (urban/rural) from 1990 to 2000 were estimated using the most recent data from the Ministry of Health of China. The suicide rate in rural China was three times higher than that in urban areas. Suicide completers in rural areas shared 90% of total YLL. Rural women aged 25-39 years contributed the largest share of YLL. Our results show that some population subgroups contributed a disproportionate share to the disease burden of suicide. National strategies for suicide prevention should include targeted programs in catering the need of these specified subgroups in China.

Language: en