Mr. Zhang, 70, lives in a nursing home. In recent years, he suffered from diabetes and bodily pain. The results were depression, insomnia, and daily feelings of fatigue and hopelessness. The pain day after day made him feel desperate. He believed that the situation could not get better and even viewed living as an endless torture.
He revealed that after he became tired of the world, the hospital staff reminded his family to visit him more often, but his mood became worse and worse. One day, he attempted suicide by cutting his waist with a plastic knife. Fortunately, he was caught and stopped in time. Seeing that the wound was not serious, the nursing home staff did not take him to a doctor and only informed his granddaughter. This incident made the granddaughter feel very guilty and angry. She blamed her grandfather for not being considerate of her hard work and instead committed suicide for attention. After Mr. Zhang silently accepted his granddaughter’s lesson, one night three weeks later, he went onto the rooftop of the nursing home and tried to jump off the building. Fortunately, he failed to commit suicide and was sent to the geriatric psychiatric ward. He was diagnosed with depression and later recovered through medication and psychological treatment.
There are many reasons for elderly suicide, among which depression is the most important reason and it requires early detection and treatment. In addition, the suicide mortality rate among Hong Kong people aged 65 or above is twice that of people aged 25 to 44. The suicide mortality rate among men is twice that among women. Across age and gender groups, older men are at the highest risk of dying by suicide.
Many people have the misconception that those who intend to commit suicide will not reveal their thoughts of death to others beforehand. Most elders who died from suicide have revealed thoughts of world-weariness. Attempts of suicide are the strongest warning signs of potential elder suicide. Suicide purely to attract attention is rare among the elderly. Family members should not deal with the world-weary thoughts and suicidal behavior of the elderly in a perfunctory manner. They should show empathy, listen to their difficulties, work together to find solutions and implement them as soon as possible. These acts can reignite hope for the world-weary elderly and make them understand that the current pain does not last forever. There are other ways to eliminate pain besides dying. However, most suicide cases among the elderly involve mental and physical health problems, so it is difficult to rely on family members alone to solve the problem. Therefore, professional assistance such as doctors, nurses, and social workers should be sought as early as possible.
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
