Suicides in Hong-Kong and Singapore: a Tale of Two Cities

Abstract

Suicide statistics from Hong Kong and Singapore over the period 1984-1994 were studied. The suicide behaviours in Hong Kong and Singapore are remarkably similar. Suicide rates increased with age, with a sharp increase among the elderly which was about four to five times the average. A relatively low male:female ratio and low teenage suicide were also found. Jumping from a height was the commonest method of suicide. Nevertheless, a different time trend of the suicide rates was observed, with an upward and downward trend for Hong Kong and Singapore respectively. The cultural, social and economic aspects in understanding suicidal behaviour in Hong Kong and Singapore are also discussed.

Comparison of elderly suicide rates among migrants in England and Wales with their country of origin

“…Eighth, cultural factors including living in extended families, larger household size, the degree of respect and high esteem offered to the elderly, all of which offer protection against loneliness and despair which otherwise may lead to suicide (Shah and De, 1998), may vary across different migrant groups. A similar hypothesis has been used to explain high elderly suicide rates in Japan (Watanabe et al, 1995;Shimuzu, 1990), Hong Kong (Yip and Tan, 1998), China (Yip et al, 2000(Yip et al, , 2005 and Taiwan (Liu et al, 2006) where the elderly have lost their traditional family role. Finally, socio-economic status and income inequality may vary across different migrant groups, and both these variables are associated with elderly suicide rates (Shah et al, 2002;Gunnell et al, 2003;Berk et al, 2006;Shah et al, 2008).…”

Suicide in Asia

“…Jumping from tall buildings is common in industrialized cities, accounting for almost half of suicides in Hong Kong (Yip & Tan, 1998), and more than three-quarters of suicides in Singapore (Loh et al, 2007). The high proportion of suicides from jumping from heights in Singapore is not unexpected, given that over 90% of its population live in highrise buildings which have open walkways with no restriction of access even for non-residents.…”

Carrying weapons and intent to harm among Victorian secondary school students in 1999 and 2009

“…In Singapore, for example, people of Chinese and Indian ethnic backgrounds have higher suicide rates than ethnic Malays (12). In the United States in 1999, African-American youths aged 15-24 years were victims of homicide at a rate more than twice that of their Hispanic counterparts, and over 12 times that of their Caucasian, non-Hispanic counterparts (13).…”