Suicide prevention efforts for the elderly in Korea.

Abstract

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among member countries of the organisation for economic Co-operation and Development (oeCD); this suicide rate is six times higher than the oeCD average.1 in particular, rapid increases in the suicide rate among the elderly have been analysed as a major contributor to the country's overall high suicide rate.2 As the suicides of many elderly people are thoughtfully planned, preventing their suicides is known to be much easier than preventing the suicides of younger people, which are often more impulsive.3Recent efforts have shown that local governments are key to intervention and prevention. Leading cases in which the suicide of elderly people was reduced through the active suicide prevention projects of local governments include examples from Jinan County, the Nowon-gu and Seongbuk-gu districts of Seoul, and Cheongju.Jinan County showed a high rate of elderly people who were super-aged, underprivileged, or living alone suffering from economic distress and extreme loneliness.4 the most successful specialised project related to suicide prevention may have been the implementation of depression screening tests for those aged 65 years or above. When the screening tests showed the symptoms of depression in elderly people, the counsellors - who were gatekeepers for suicide prevention and comprised the head of the community, health teachers in schools, and caregivers for the elderly - encouraged the elderly people to change their perceptions through one-on-one counselling. in addition, Jinan County appointed and operated five villages as 'Villages enjoying Happiness' in conjunction with the Jeonbuk Mental Health enhancement Center. the happiness creation programme of 'Villages enjoying Happiness' was designed to promote a reduction in the incidence of depression and suicidal events through laughter therapy, to provide opportunities to improve social relations through the unity of villagers, and to encourage participation in social activities by local residents who lived otherwise isolated lives.5After the implementation of this multidirectional suicide prevention programme, the suicide rate in Jinangun, which had been the country's highest in 2011 at 75.5 per 100,000 people, went down to 234th place.6Nowon-gu also made use of depression screening tests to address the problem of high suicide rates among the elderly. Among the districts of Seoul, Nowon-gu developed a customised survey tool for suicide prevention for each subject group and conducted a depression screening test. this test discovered a suicide-related risk group in the early stages of depression which amounted to around 10% of the 150,000 elderly people who lived alone.7 in addition, the district organised 'Life Keepers', whose role was to discover members of high-risk groups in the community and help prevent suicide attempts by these individuals by connecting them with specialised organisations to receive proper counselling for their crises, and actively supported the activities of the Life Keepers.Seongbuk-gu was the first of the country's local governments to open a suicide prevention centre. this district has carried out a leading suicide prevention project to spread and practice the value of respect for life, including education on respect for life, a campaign for wearing a 'life badge', a one-on-one sponsorship service involving any high-risk group and mental health caregivers, and gardening activities as therapy for emotional support of the elderly. in doing so, the district reduced its suicide rate from fifth place among the 25 local governments in 2010 to 20th place in 2012.8'Mental Caregivers' is a mental care service that helps the elderly who struggle with depression, despair and suicidal thoughts to feel less lonely and find psychological stability and peace. …