A survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) with 853 people aged 65 and over found that 10.3 per cent have felt an impulse to take their own lives. Health problems is the main cause of anxiety, followed by money and other psychological issues.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – One in ten senior citizens in South Korea has had thoughts about suicide in the past year, a survey showed Tuesday.
According to the study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) on 853 people aged 65 and over, 10.3 per cent of respondents said that they had felt an impulse to take their own lives.
The survey found 10.1 per cent of people aged 65 to 74 have had such an impulse, as did 11.4 per cent of people aged over 75.
On a scale of one to 10, with 10 representing the most anxiety, the average anxiety level of the respondents came to 5.4.
As for causes, health issues were the most anxiety-causing factor with 6.46, followed by financial problems with 6.38 and other psychological issues with 5.9.
More than 30 per cent of the respondents said they sleep or rest to resolve such issues, the survey showed.
Elderly people in the low-income bracket consider suicide much more than people at higher income levels, the survey found.
“Anxiety and psychological health of the elderly are directly related to various social ills," said Chae Soo-mi, a researcher at the KHASA. "It is time to roll out various measures to take care of the mental health of the elderly people."
According to related data by Statistics Korea, suicide was the leading cause of death among South Koreans aged 15 to 24 in 2011. The suicide rate per 100,000 in that age group stood at 13, up from 7.7 in 2001.