The suicide rate in older women of South Asian origin is
increasing, according to
new
research published in the November issue of the
British
Journal of Psychiatry.
Suicide rates among those over the age of 65
are now double that of other women living in England and Wales. The
psychiatrists who carried out the study describe the finding as “a
matter of concern” and call for further research into the reasons
underlying the trend.
The researchers obtained data from the Office
for National Statistics on all suicides in England and Wales
between 1993 and 2003. Of the 54,745 suicides that were recorded,
1,438 were identified as being people of South Asian origin using
name recognition software.
Age-standardised suicide rates were calculated
for the South Asian origin population and the rest of the
population. Men of South Asian origin in England and Wales were
found to have a relatively low age-standardised suicide rate, while
women of South Asian origin had marginally raised suicide
rates.
However, while overall suicide rates for
people of South Asian origin were found to decrease over the ten
year period, for women aged over 65 there was a marked increase.
This is contrary to all previous studies, which report rates of
suicide for older women of South Asian origin that are similar to
or lower than rates in England and Wales or in White comparison
groups.
The researchers have attributed this higher
rate to bereavement and long-term illness, explaining: “The life
expectancy of men of South Asian origin is lower than that for
England and Wales, leaving an increasing number of bereaved older
women of South Asian origin. Older women of South Asian origin are
also more likely to suffer from a limiting long-term illness. Both
bereavement and long-term illness are known risk factors for
depression and suicide.”
Further research is now needed to investigate
whether all South Asian origin groups are affected equally, of if
specific sub-populations have different risks of suicide.
The researchers have also identified older
South Asian women as being a suitable group for a targeted suicide
prevention strategy.