Attempted suicide by Chinese elderly in Hong Kong.

There is little information on attempted suicide in the elderly, especially among Chinese populations. Fifty-five elderly with suicidal attempts seen in a psychiatric unit in Hong Kong over a 2 1/2 year period were studied. The risk of suicidal attempt remained high after age 75 and only declined after 85. In contrast to western societies, self-injury was more common than self-poisoning. About half of the patients suffered from a mood disorder but very few had dementia. At follow-up 1 1/2-4 years after the suicidal attempt, the rate of repetition was 3.6% and the rate of completed suicide was 5.5%.