Suicide in the elderly in Kaniyambadi block, Tamil Nadu, South India

Inefficient civil registration systems, non-report of deaths, variable standards in certifying death and the legal and social consequences of suicide are major obstacles in investigating suicide in the developing world. Very high rates of suicide have been recorded in the region in the general population and among younger people.

This paper describes the suicide rate among the elderly in Kaniyambadi block, Tamil Nadu, South India for the years 1994-2002 using verbal autopsies.

The setting for the study was a comprehensive community health program in a development block in rural South India. The main outcome measure was death by suicide diagnosed by a detailed verbal autopsy and census, birth and death data to identify the population base.

The average annual suicide rate was 189 per 100,000 for people over 55 years of age. The ratio of male to female suicides was 1: 0.66. The age-specific suicide rate for men and women increased with age. Hanging (52%) and poisoning with organo-phosphorus compounds (39%) were the commonest methods employed for committing suicide. Significantly more women chose drowning or burning than men who preferred poisoning or hanging (chi2 19.75; df 1; p < 0.001).

The suicide rate documented in this study among the elderly is very high. The reasons for the high suicide rate observed in older people are not known. There is a need to develop innovative strategies to reduce deaths by suicide.