Suicide in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Asian countries account for approximately 60% of the world's suicides, but there is a great mismatch in the region between the scale of the problem and the resources available to tackle it. Despite certain commonalities, the continent itself is culturally, economically, and socially diverse. This paper reviews current epidemiologic patterns of suicide, including suicide trends, sociodemographic factors, urban/rural living, suicide methods, sociocultural religious influences, and risk and protective factors in Asia, as well as their implications. The observed epidemiologic distributions of suicides reflect complex interplays among the traditional value/culture system, rapid economic transitions under market globalization, availability/desirability of suicide methods, and sociocultural permission/prohibitions regarding suicides. In general, compared with Western countries, Asian countries still have a higher average suicide rate, lower male-to-female suicide gender ratio, and higher elderly-to-general-population suicide ratios. The role of mental illness in suicide is not as important as that in Western countries. In contrast, aggravated by access to lethal means in Asia (e.g., pesticide poisoning and jumping), acute life stress (e.g., family conflicts, job and financial security issues) plays a more important role than it does in Western countries. Some promising suicide prevention programs in Asia are illustrated. Considering the specific socioeconomic and cultural aspects of the region, community-based suicide intervention programs integrating multiple layers of intervention targets may be the most feasible and cost-effective strategy in Asia, with its populous areas and limited resources.