Alarming Elderly Suicides in Rural China

[William Hung]

Alarming Elderly Suicides in Rural China - New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD TV)

A recent sociological study on elderly suicides in China found rates are too phenomenal to ignore....

The first bluebook on causes of ageing: ‘China Report on the Development of Ageing 2014’ was released on Sept. 23. This report was conducted by China Research Center on Ageing. It suggested that by 2050, there will be 480 million elderly Chinese, accounting for a quarter of the world's elderly population.

Also, a sociological study on suicides among older people in rural China also found that suicide rates have reached an alarming level....

For example, up to 28% of the population in Rudong County, Jiangsu Province, are elderly. The majority of those who are in their 60s or 70s are still doing odd jobs and house chores. They long for the company of their children and grandchildren. But many of them are admitted to nursing homes where they are kept alive, but with no family, friends or any emotional exchange...

Ma Xiaoming: "The young ones are gone and only return home during harvest time, or the New Year and or even only once every several years. The elderly could not get proper care and medical attention. That’s why the suicide rates are getting serious."

The sociological study of rural elderly suicide was conducted by Liu Yanwu, lecturer at the Department of Sociology, Wuhan University. For 6 years, the survey investigated elderly suicides in 11 provinces and more than 40 villages. It found that since 1990, China's rural elderly suicide rate has increased significantly, and remained high.

 

[C130]

all the young people are migrating from the farms to the cities.
old people are left behind. they must be lonely

 

[boke]

在生活、发展压力越来越大、社会保障仍不健全的情况下年轻人是要出去甚至是很远的地方去打拼，这是十分无奈的事情；看到这样的报道我非常的内疚，对我本人来说，也不希望离家一千多公里，可是在家乡找份合适的工作尝试是失败的，我很想对父母说：非常的想念你们，也很爱你们，有回去的机会我肯定赶回去陪你们！

 

[Aepsilons]

Depression is a common symptom for the geriatric population group. They should have the right care services as reiterated in the 4 metaparadigms of nursing: 1) the patient, 2) the environment, 3) health and 4) nursing. With growth in industry and nation's overall wealth, its services sector should also increase proportionally.

 

[William Hung]

all the young people are migrating from the farms to the cities.
old people are left behind. they must be lonely

Yea, the main reason for elderly suicide is depression that arises out of loneliness.

This is just a shadow of things to come. The current PRC young adults belong to the one-child generation. They dont have much siblings, if any at all. Their fertility rate has gone down, and it will keep going down as China further develops and urbanize.

In 30-40 years time, alot of these current chinese young adult population will face the same predicament as these current rural elders. The difference is that they won't be feeling lonely because of negligence by their children or family, instead, they will be lonely because they dont have much children or family at all.

Depression is a common symptom for the geriatric population group. They should have the right care services as reiterated in the 4 metaparadigms of nursing: 1) the patient, 2) the environment, 3) health and 4) nursing. With growth in industry and nation's overall wealth, its services sector should also increase proportionally.

No, wealth and development won't solve this issue. I've read another report that goes against this view to show that elderly suicide rates are actually higher in developed countries than the poorer and less developed ones.

 

[magic-007]

china has to pay a certain price for urbanisation, it is inevitable to shift the rural population that turned country from a developing into a developed country .

 

[Aepsilons]

No, wealth and development won't solve this issue. I've read another report that goes against this view to show that elderly suicide rates are actually higher in developed countries than the poorer and less developed ones.

Development (and I would say that Wealth could be consigned as a quasi-independent variable) is influential in treating a host of social ills. With development comes health care development and modernization. If China can produce high quality rehabilitation / nursing homes in the future, as well as geriatic care initiatives, then the country can tackle instances of : 1) elderly neglect, 2) elderly abuse.

And I believe this will be realized. Given the Chinese' track record of comprehensive development.

china has to pay a certain price for urbanisation, it is inevitable to shift the rural population that turned country from a developing into a developed country .

Yes, indeed. Urbanization is a natural phenomena when understanding the effects of industrialization on a nation' and how that said societal phenomena (industrialization) may have unintended consequences in the family dynamic. In the future, as China's development reaches all corners of society, it will necessitate the need to focus on rural development, which is where the vast majority of the nation's population is. As China marches towards development, as it educates its population, its social services segment will increase and China will see the same development of rural / provincial / state-wide areas as seen in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany et al. China is still developing, it has not even reached the cusp of its potential.

 

[William Hung]

Development (and I would say that Wealth could be consigned as a quasi-independent variable) is influential in treating a host of social ills. With development comes health care development and modernization. If China can produce high quality rehabilitation / nursing homes in the future, as well as geriatic care initiatives, then the country can tackle instances of : 1) elderly neglect, 2) elderly abuse.

And I believe this will be realized. Given the Chinese' track record of comprehensive development.



Yes, indeed. Urbanization is a natural phenomena when understanding the effects of industrialization on a nation' and how that said societal phenomena (industrialization) may have unintended consequences in the family dynamic. In the future, as China's development reaches all corners of society, it will necessitate the need to focus on rural development, which is where the vast majority of the nation's population is. As China marches towards development, as it educates its population, its social services segment will increase and China will see the same development of rural / provincial / state-wide areas as seen in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany et al. China is still developing, it has not even reached the cusp of its potential.

Developing the mental health care sector or other necessary social services won't solve this problem.

The fundamental cause of elderly suicide is depression from loneliness. More specifically, suffering loneliness without family. So, having a psychologist or counselor (or volunteers/visiting nursing the elderly) will not solve this problem. The main problem is that these elders lack caring family members and true companionship. Everyone will know that these companionship with counselors and volunteers are only shallow and cannot be a substitute for real companionship of family and friends.

Urbanisation and development will only further deepen this problem. The lifestyle and ethos of the population will change according to the countries development and industrialisation. And you already know well that the industrialisation of a country often changes the family dynamic of the community, for the worse. For example, it is the tough working pressure of the urban cities that causes white collar office workers to have less children and less in touch with their friends and family. It is these changes that are the roots of this elderly suicide problem. So it is likely that we will see the problem worsen as China further develops and urbanise.

 

[Aepsilons]

Developing the mental health care sector or other necessary social services won't solve this problem.

The fundamental cause of elderly suicide is depression from loneliness. More specifically, suffering loneliness without family. So, having a psychologist or counselor (or volunteers/visiting nursing the elderly) will not solve this problem. The main problem is that these elders lack caring family members and true companionship. Everyone will know that these companionship with counselors and volunteers are only shallow and cannot be a substitute for real companionship of family and friends.

Urbanisation and development will only further deepen this problem. The lifestyle and ethos of the population will change according to the countries development and industrialisation. And you already know well that the industrialisation of a country often changes the family dynamic of the community, for the worse. For example, it is the tough working pressure of the urban cities that causes white collar office workers to have less children and less in touch with their friends and family. It is these changes that are the roots of this elderly suicide problem. So it is likely that we will see the problem worsen as China further develops and urbanise.

I think you fail to grasp the functions of mental health services and its effects in reducing intrapsychic tension. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and other therapeutic modules are proven to be effective long term and more efficacious than merely use of psychopharmacology, which does not address the actually causative factors, but merely provides symptomatic relief, tho, many psychiatrists are now addressing the severe side effects of psycholytic drugs such as extrapyramidal side effects and the like. The rise of mental health services as well as rise of geriatic health care initiatives will increase awareness of elderly medical needs, and reduce elderly neglect and elderly abuse.

These services don't exist in many rural areas of China right now. But these services are readily available in the urban areas such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Nanjing, Beijing, Chongqing. However, over time, as the rural areas develop, as health care services, and educational services (and the host of social services) manifest in the provinces, we can expect quality care to also increase.

This same situation happened in the United States; where there was lack of geriatric care and awareness in the past 50 years, but recently, through the auspice of ANA (American Nurse's Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and AMA (American Medical Association), geriatric care, geriatric rights and awareness of such issues have permeated the entire medical establishment. So much that it is even addressed by the United States HIPAA Law that was passed in '96.
Now, in the present, there is a focused geriatric care in the US. The same also in Japan. I believe it will be observed also in China.


Some scholarly journal articles that highlights evidence based practice of behavioral therapy , mental health care's ability to treat depression, depression in elderly; role of public awareness to address this situation:

Depression Care for the Elderly: Reducing Barriers to Evidence Based Practice

http://www.unmc.edu/media/intmed/ge...2010/ppt/ricenonpharmacologicaldepression.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/cib_mental_health.pdf

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Depression in Older Adults | Psych Central

http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/Group/telchlab/Powers_files/ValidatedTx.pdf

 

[magic-007]

Development (and I would say that Wealth could be consigned as a quasi-independent variable) is influential in treating a host of social ills. With development comes health care development and modernization. If China can produce high quality rehabilitation / nursing homes in the future, as well as geriatic care initiatives, then the country can tackle instances of : 1) elderly neglect, 2) elderly abuse.
And I believe this will be realized. Given the Chinese' track record of comprehensive development.
Yes, indeed. Urbanization is a natural phenomena when understanding the effects of industrialization on a nation' and how that said societal phenomena (industrialization) may have unintended consequences in the family dynamic. In the future, as China's development reaches all corners of society, it will necessitate the need to focus on rural development, which is where the vast majority of the nation's population is. As China marches towards development, as it educates its population, its social services segment will increase and China will see the same development of rural / provincial / state-wide areas as seen in the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany et al. China is still developing, it has not even reached the cusp of its potential.

i agree with you .but i think Urbanization is not a natural phenomena,it is an inevitable result of the development the economy at certain stage. it's an economic phenomena .

 

[magic-007]

Yea, the main reason for elderly suicide is depression that arises out of loneliness.

This is just a shadow of things to come. The current PRC young adults belong to the one-child generation. They dont have much siblings, if any at all. Their fertility rate has gone down, and it will keep going down as China further develops and urbanize.

In 30-40 years time, alot of these current chinese young adult population will face the same predicament as these current rural elders. The difference is that they won't be feeling lonely because of negligence by their children or family, instead, they will be lonely because they dont have much children or family at all.



No, wealth and development won't solve this issue. I've read another report that goes against this view to show that elderly suicide rates are actually higher in developed countries than the poorer and less developed ones.

hey ,kid .various social problems is sure to go with the development of economy . it is impossible to have a carefree life,and the same hold true in economic development .

 

[Aepsilons]

i agree with you .but i think Urbanization is not a natural phenomena,it is an inevitable result of the development the economy at certain stage. it's an economic phenomena .

Yes, it is an economic phenomena. And it will lift millions more out of poverty, allow services to be created that are not readily available now.

Anyways, I am an admirer of Confucian Culture and know that this culture is still alive and strong in rural parts of China.Filial Piety is alive and well in China, despite what other naysayers say:

» Woman Carries 88-Year-Old Grandmother To Work Every Day To Look After Her

 

[William Hung]

I think you fail to grasp the functions of mental health services and its effects in reducing intrapsychic tension. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and other therapeutic modules are proven to be effective long term and more efficacious than merely use of psychopharmacology, which does not address the actually causative factors, but merely provides symptomatic relief, tho, many psychiatrists are now addressing the severe side effects of psycholytic drugs such as extrapyramidal side effects and the like. The rise of mental health services as well as rise of geriatic health care initiatives will increase awareness of elderly medical needs, and reduce elderly neglect and elderly abuse.

I think you've failed to grasp the bigger picture here. Are mental health services lacking in rural China? yes. Would it help if China improve its mental health services in those rural area? maybe to a certain extent, but I doubt it can solve the issue entirely. The main issue facing these elders are loneliness and negligence from their children. There are no treatment for this problem other than to reunite their family or to convince these elders to not make a big deal out of it. But this will be a difficult task considering the Confucian idea of filial piety and other family values that has been ingrained in their culture for so long.

The bigger picture is this, the urbanisation and development of China has changed the ethos of the urban Chinese working population. This has changed the family dynamic of the population. Even by reading this article alone, you can sense that the idea of filial piety is no longer the top priority. Migrant workers are visiting their family less often. This change of ethos also affects the native urban workers. Their fertility rate is alarmingly low, reflecting the changing ethos that families are no longer the top priority.

So the root of this elderly suicide issue has already being embedded in the younger generation. Providing mental health services to the elders is only treating the symptoms. The disease has already set in, starting when the patients are in their youth. This is why I said you have failed to grasp the bigger issue. You are only talking about dealing with the symptoms by providing mental health services to the elders, while the causes of the symptoms is present in the younger generation.

These services don't exist in many rural areas of China right now. But these services are readily available in the urban areas such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Nanjing, Beijing, Chongqing. However, over time, as the rural areas develop, as health care services, and educational services (and the host of social services) manifest in the provinces, we can expect quality care to also increase.

This same situation happened in the United States; where there was lack of geriatric care and awareness in the past 50 years, but recently, through the auspice of ANA (American Nurse's Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and AMA (American Medical Association), geriatric care, geriatric rights and awareness of such issues have permeated the entire medical establishment. So much that it is even addressed by the United States HIPAA Law that was passed in '96.
Now, in the present, there is a focused geriatric care in the US. The same also in Japan. I believe it will be observed also in China.

Your confidence in these treatments and therapy doesnt reflect the real picture in the real world. Hong Kong and Japan has great services you say? so why are there reports like this:

Why are so many elderly Asians killing themselves? | GlobalPost

It is a question that has puzzled mental health experts in Asia for some time: Why are so many elderly Asians committing suicide?

The past decade has seen astonishing spikes in the rate of Asians over 65 choosing to end their lives early, particularly in the region’s economically successful countries....

And these numbers are expected to rise.

A 2011 report found that mental well-being would likely worsen over the next two decades in Asia, with suicide rates expected to continue climbing.

The World Health Organization found higher-than-average suicide rates among the elderly in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore. The irony: Wealth and economic growth over the past quarter-century has given families greater financial resources to take care of their elderly.

By contrast, the rate remains both stable and far lower in less-developed countries, such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

If your assertion is correct, then we should see the elderly suicide rates of HK and Japan low. But it is to the contrary, poorer countries (which would likely mean poorer mental health services) has significantly lower elderly suicide rates.

 

[magic-007]

Yes, it is an economic phenomena. And it will lift millions more out of poverty, allow services to be created that are not readily available now.

Anyways, I am an admirer of Confucian Culture and know that this culture is still alive and strong in rural parts of China.Filial Piety is alive and well in China, despite what other naysayers say:

» Woman Carries 88-Year-Old Grandmother To Work Every Day To Look After Her

certaintly ,尊老爱幼/loving the old and young ,you know.it's easy to ignore moral when lack of material .waiting for china to become richer ,people will pay more attention to moral.

 

[William Hung]

china has to pay a certain price for urbanisation, it is inevitable to shift the rural population that turned country from a developing into a developed country .

hey ,kid .various social problems is sure to go with the development of economy . it is impossible to have a carefree life,and the same hold true in economic development .

I'm happy that you've obeyed my advice to post something of more substance rather than just one-liners.

But I'm worried about your replies. Are you saying that elderly suicide is an unavoidable price that China must pay in order to develop? As long as your country develope and industrialise, you dont mind that China's elderly suicide rate is above world average?

The report said that the rate will expect to rise if nothing is done about it. So why do you talk about zunlao when your elderly suicide rate is higher than the world's average and is expected to continue to rise?