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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Suicide in the elderly in Kaniyambadi block, Tamil Nadu, South India | | Author(s) | V J Abraham, S Abraham, K S Jacob |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 20, no 10, October 2005 |
| Pages | pp 953-955 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com |
| Keywords | Suicide ; India. |
| Annotation | Inefficient civil registration systems, non-report of deaths, variable standards in identifying death, and the legal and social consequences of suicide are major obstacles in investigating suicide in the developing world. Very high rates of suicide have been recorded in the region in the general population and among younger people. This paper describes the suicide rate among older people in Kaniyambadi block, Tamil Nadu, a rural area of South India for the years 1994-2002 using verbal autopsies. The average annual suicide rate was 189 per 100,000 for people aged over 55. The ratio of males to females was 1:0.66. The age-specific suicide rate for men and women increased with age. Hanging (52%) and poisoning with organo-phosphorus compounds (39%) were the commonest methods used. Significantly, more women chose drowning or burning than men who preferred poisoning or hanging. Reasons for the very high suicide rate observed in older people are not known, so there is a need to develop innovative strategies to reduce deaths by suicide. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-051108219 A |
| Classmark | EV: 7FA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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