• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.312-322
• /
• 2019

Background: Since 2003, Korea has consistently shown the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, and suicide remains the major cause of death. In particular, men are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than women, which called the 'gender paradox of suicide.' The areas with frequent suicide have spatially clustered patterns because suicide with a social contagion spreads around the neighborhood. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to estimate the hotspot areas of age-standardized male suicide mortality from 2008 to 2015. The second was to analyze the relationship between the hotspot areas and the regional characteristics for study years. Methods: The data was collected through the Korean Statistical Information Service. The study areas were 227 si gun gu administrative districts in Korea. The hotspot area was used as a dependent variable. Socio-demographic variables (number of marriages per 1,000 population, number of divorces per 1,000 population, and urbanization rate), financial variables (financial independence and social security budget), and health behaviors (EuroQol-5 dimension [EQ-5D], and depression experience rate) were used as independents variables. Results: The hotspot areas were commonly located in Gangwon-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungceongbuk-do. According to the results of panel logit regression, the number of divorces per 1,000 population, social security budget, and EQ-5D were statistically significant variables. Conclusion: The results of hotspot analysis showed the need for establishing a prevention zone of suicide using hotspot areas. Also, medical resources could be considered to be preferentially placed in the prevention zone of suicide. This study could be used as basic data for health policymakers to establish a suicide-related policy.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.193-200
• /
• 2023

Background: International evidence shows that mining workers are at greater risk of suicide than other workers; however, it is not known whether this applies to the Australian mining sector. Methods: Using data from the National Coronial Information System, rates of suicide among male mining workers were compared to those of three comparators: construction workers, mining and construction workers combined, and all other workers. Age-standardized suicide rates were calculated for 2001-2019 and across three intervals '2001-2006', '2007-2011', and '2012-2019'. Incidence rate ratios for suicide were calculated to compare incidence rates for mining workers, to those of the three comparative groups. Results: The suicide rate for male mining workers in Australia was estimated to be between 11 and 25 per 100,000 (likely closer to 25 per 100,000) over the period of 2001-2019. There was also evidence that the suicide rate among mining workers is increasing, and the suicide rate among mining workers for the period 2012-2019 was significantly higher than the other worker group. Conclusions: Based on available data, we tentatively deduce that suicide mortality among male mining workers is of concern. More information is needed on both industry and occupation of suicide decedents in order to better assess whether, and the extent to which, mining workers (and other industries and occupations) are at increased risk of suicide.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.125-131
• /
• 2005

Injury has recently become a major world-wide health problem. Injury related deaths occur in many actively working young people and produce major social and economical losses. However health related specialists do not recognize the importance of injury and there have not been many studies related to this problem. This research studied the trends of injury related research in Korea, mortality rate and prevalence rate, socio-economical losses and control in Korea and out of the country, based on literature from Korea and without such as statistical yearly reports on causes of deaths and OECD health reports, as well as WHO web sites. Studies in Korea about injury were very few, with 9 in the 1960's, 5 in the 1980's, 4 in the 1990's and 5 in 2000's. Mortality rate of injury was higher in Korea than in England, USA or Japan, especially in car accidents, suicide and falls. In Korea, the yearly trends in mortality rates were highest in car accidents but those rates are falling, suicide is steadily rising, with highest rate in 2003. Falls is in second rank with no change in rates. In 2003, the ten causes of death in Korea were suicide in 5th rank, transport accidents in 7th rank, and falls in 10th rank. Considering age groups, in the teens, transport accidents were 1st rank, in the 20's and 30's, suicide was 1st rank, and although there were some differences, falls, drowning, assault, fire were in the top 10. Prevalence rates of injury could not be known, but in 2001, according to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, lifelong injury was 10%, and yearly major injury was 1.3%, major injury for two weeks was 0.1%, and minor injury was 10%. In other foreign countries, injury has become to be recognized as a major health related problem, and much programs are being set up to reduce injury related deaths and injuries. WHO is putting much effort in prevention of violence and transport accidents, and in the USA, Canada and Europe, there are injury surveillance systems. Recently, as suicide is increasing rapidly and providing much problems, each country are managing suicide prevention programs. In Korea, Ministry of Construction and Transportation is managing and guiding the policies for prevention of transport accidents. In September of 2004, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has set up a 5 year plan of suicide prevention.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.112-119
• /
• 2020

Suicide has been a long-standing problem for global public health, along with almost 800,000 deaths from suicide worldwide in 2016, accounting for 1.4% of all deaths. South Korea was ranked first in suicide mortality in 2018 among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This study aimed to suggest up-to-date information about suicide-related indicators such as the rate of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide death, and its trends by applying sampling weight to make it nationally representative. In this study, we used the data sources: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination (KNHANES, '07-13, '15-18), Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS, '08-09, '13, '17), Korean Wealth Panel Study (KOWEPS, '12-18), Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, '10-13), and Statistics Korea (1983-2017). The rate of suicidal ideation as recent year was 4.73% (KNHANES, '17), 6.96% (KCHS, '17), 2.29% (KOWEPS, '18), and 5.39% (KHP, '13). That of suicide attempt as recent year was 0.51% (KNHANES, '18), 0.32% (KCHS, '17), and 0.15% (KOWEPS, '18). Annual percentage change (APC) of suicidal ideation was -15.4% (KNHANES, '07-13, '15, '17), -2.5% (KCHS, '08-09, '13, '17), -10.8% (KOWEPS, '12-18), and -10.9% (KHP, '10-13). APC of suicide attempt was -4.4% (KNHANES, '07-13, '15-18), -4.4% (KCHS, '08-09, '13, '17), and -13.6% (KOWEPS, '12-18). APC of death by intentional self-harm was -1.25% (Statistics Korea, '07-18). All suicide-related indicators were found to be decreasing in the overall from 2009. Individuals with lower income level were more likely to experience suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Even though suicide rate had been continuously decreasing from its highest point in 2011 (suicide rate: 31.7 per 100,000 population) to 2017 (suicide rate: 24.3 per 100,000 population), it increased again in 2018 (suicide rate: 26.6 per 100,000 population). This information would be grounded on policy implementation for suicide prevention, thus continuous data observation is necessary.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.252-263
• /
• 2015

Since 2004 suicide in Korea was the number 1 cause of mortality among OECD countries, the suicides and suicide mortality rate is constantly increasing. Using AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process), we examined the main approaches and detailed policies of suicide prevention to confirm an effective suicide policy. A workshop and survey were conducted on August 23rd and 26th, 2013, with 30 people. There were 20 academics (4 social workers, 7 mental health workers, 5 psychiatrists, 4 clinical psychologists), and 5 policymakers and 5 administrative staff. In additional 5 people from social welfare and 5 from clinical psychology fields were survey from september 9 to 12 by e-mail. The research found 4 priorities. They include, suicide attempt management, building up public infrastructure for suicide prevention, support to bereaved families, and crisis management of high risk groups in society.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2024

Purpose : This study aimed to determine the mortality rate among elderly patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for acute drug intoxication resulting from suicide attempts. It also compared the characteristics of survivors and decedents to identify factors associated with mortality. Methods : This retrospective descriptive study included 150 patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to the ICU of a tertiary university hospital in Gwangju due to acute drug intoxication, with the period spanning January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Chi-squared tests, Fisher's exact test, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results : The mortality rate among elderly individuals admitted to the ICU for acute drug intoxication was 19.3%. The likelihood of death was significantly higher in patients with an acute physiology and chronic health examination (APACHE) III score of 70 or above (OR=23.75, 95% CI=3.78-149.46, p<.001) and those with metabolic acidosis on initial acid-base results (OR=3.73, 95% CI=1.12-12.43, p=.032). Conclusion : These findings underscore the need for developing and implementing systematic education and targeted nursing interventions for ICU nurses caring for acutely drug-intoxicated elderly adults, particularly considering the APACHE III score and the presence of metabolic acidosis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.30-38
• /
• 2024

Background: Although Korea ranks first in the suicide rate of elderly individuals, there is limited research on those who attempt suicide, with preventive measures largely based on population-based studies. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of elderly individuals who attempted suicide with those of younger adults who visited the emergency department after suicide attempts and identified the factors associated with lethality in the former group. Methods: Individuals who visited the emergency department after a suicide attempt from April 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, were included. Participants were classified into two groups according to age (elderly, ≥65 years; adult, 18-64 years). Among the 779 adult patients, 123 were elderly. We conducted a chi-square test to compare the demographic and clinical features between these groups and a logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors for lethality in the elderly group. Results: Most elderly participants were men, with no prior psychiatric history or suicide attempts, and had a higher prevalence of underlying medical conditions and attributed their attempts to physical illnesses. Being sober and planning suicide occurred more frequently in this group. In the elderly group, factors that increased the mortality rate were biological male sex (p<0.05), being accompanied by family members (p<0.05), and poisoning as a suicide method (p<0.01). Conclusion: Suicide attempts in elderly individuals have different characteristics from those in younger adults and are associated with physical illness. Suicides in the former group are unpredictable, deliberate, and fatal. Therefore, tailored prevention and intervention strategies addressing the characteristics of those who are elderly and attempt suicide are required.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.69-80
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Suicide ranks among the top causes of death among youth in South Korea. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of suicidal individuals treated at emergency departments between 2011 and 2020. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from January 2011 to December 2020 in the Injury Surveillance Cohort, a prospective registry. Patients' sex, age, mortality, methods of self-harm, and previous suicide attempts were analyzed. The methods of self-harm were categorized into falls, asphyxiation, blunt injuries, penetrating injuries, poisoning, and others. Sub-groups with and without poisoning were compared. Results: The proportion of self-harm/suicide attempts increased from 2.3% (2011) to 5.0% (2020). The mortality rate decreased from 10.8% (2011) to 6.3% (2020). Poisoning was the most common method (61.7%). Mortality rates ranged from 42.0% for asphyxiation to 0.2% for blunt injuries. Individuals in their 20s showed a marked increase in suicide/self-harm attempts, especially in the last three years. A large proportion of decedents in their 70s or older (52.6%) used poisoning as a method of suicide. The percentage of individuals with two or more previous attempts rose from 7.1% (2011) to 19.7% (2020). The death rates by poisoning decreased from 7.7% (2011) to 2.5% (2020). Conclusion: Our findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and suicide prevention policies. Managing and reducing suicide and self-harm in emergency settings will require a focus on poisoning, the 10-29 age group, and the elderly. This paper will be valuable for future policies aiming to reduce the societal burden of suicide and self-harm.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.123-129
• /
• 2016

Depression has a relatively high lifetime prevalence rate in spite of a genetic influence on its etiology and a high mortality rate in untreated cases. This suggests the possibility that depression gives us evolutionary benefits which we do not exactly know yet. There have been several hypotheses which tell us what evolutionary advantages depression could give us. The psychic pain hypothesis considers sad or depressed mood as a negative reward just like physical pain which we have to avoid for our protection and survival. The social rank hypothesis holds that depressed mood is very similar to the emotional state of the defeated in social competition which prevents him from further protesting or fighting that might cause additional damage to him. The inclusive fitness hypothesis views suicide as a sacrifice phenomenon to contribute to inclusive fitness. These hypotheses gives us new insights into mood disorders and also some suggestions about the conditions in which depressed mood or suicidal behaviors increase and the ways to reduce them.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.197-203
• /
• 1988

In order to examine cause-specific mortality in Korea by comparing mortality of Japan, various mortality indicators are calculated using 1995 of ficial statistics of twonations. The mortality measures are cause-specific mortality rate by sex, age, andmarital status, cause-specific age-standardized death rate and potential years of lifelost, and their ratios by sex and nation. Items of major causes of death include allcauses (total deaths),tuberculosis, malignant neoplasm, diabetes mellitushypertensive diseases, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, liver diseasestransport accidents, and suicide. Major characteristics of mortality in Korea are asfollows . (1) Death rates from most causes except suicide are higher in Korea thanJapan and especially death rates from tuberculosis, hypertensive diseases, liverdiseases, and transport accidents are higher for economically active Koreans : (2)Death rates from tuberculosis, liver diseases, transport accidents, and malignantneoplasm are salient for Korean children (3) Sex-differentials in mortality fromliver diseases, tuberculosis , and transport accidents are large for economically activeKoreans, because male mortality is higher than female mortality : (4) Suicide ratesare lower for economically active males, and higher for females aged 10s and 20s inKorea than Japan : (5) Death rates are highest f3r divorced or widowed under 45years of age depending on causes, but death rates from all causes are highest fornever-married of the age 45 and over in Korea : and (6) Sex-differentials inmortality are greatest for widowed in Korea and for divorced in Japan.