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Cited by 190Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseInjury Epidemiology and Prevention

Suicide Methods in Asia: Implications in Suicide Prevention

Open access
Wu, Kevin Chien-Chang, Chen, Ying-Yeh, Yip, Paul S. F.·2012·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI 10.3390/ijerph9041135PMC PMC3366604
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Abstract

As the largest continent in the World, Asia accounts for about 60% of World suicides. Preventing suicide by restricting access to suicide methods is one of the few evidence-based suicide prevention strategies. However, there has been a lack of systematic exploration of suicide methods in Asian countries. To amend this shortage, the current review examines the leading suicide methods in different Asian countries, their trend, their age- and sex- specific characteristics, and their implications for suicide prevention. In total, 42 articles with leading suicide methods data in 17 Asian countries/regions were retrieved. The epidemiologic characteristics and recent trends of common suicide methods reflect specific socio-cultural, economic, and religious situations in the region. Common suicide methods shift with the introduction of technologies and constructions, and have specific age- or sex-characteristics that may render the restriction of suicide methods not equally effective for all sex and age sub-groups. Charcoal burning, pesticide poisoning, native plant poisoning, self-immolation, and jumping are all prominent examples. In the information society, suicide prevention that focuses on suicide methods must monitor and control the innovation and spread of knowledge and practices of suicide “technologies”. It may be more cost-effective to design safety into technologies as a way of suicide prevention while there is no rash of suicides yet by the new technologies. Further research on suicide methods is important for public health approaches to suicide prevention with sensitivity to socio-cultural, economic, and religious factors in different countries.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/ijerph9041135

Cites

100 of 100 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Intentional self-poisoning is one of the most frequently used methods of committing suicide, along with using firearms and committing suicide by hanging.

    “Intentional self-poisoning is one of the most frequently used methods of committing suicide, along with using firearms and committing suicide by hanging [12].”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Results (§3.1) and Discussion (§4.1) identify hanging and solid/liquid self-poisoning as dominant suicide methods in Asia. The Results also list firearms among common methods in a European study, but say firearms are not a leading method in most Asian countries studied. The source therefore does not support presenting all three as generally among the most frequently used methods without a geographic qualifier. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • In many low-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region, suicide is the leading cause of death in early to middle adult life and pesticides account for around half to two-thirds of the suicides.

    “In many low-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region, suicide is the leading cause of death in early to middle adult life and pesticides account for around half to two-thirds of the suicides.”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Introduction says suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and Results §3.1 identifies pesticide-related poisoning as the leading suicide method in China, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The paper does not establish that suicide is the leading cause of death in early to middle adulthood across many low-income Asia-Pacific countries, or that pesticides account for half to two-thirds of suicides there. The passages in our copy have no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Depression was the most relevant risk factor associated with suicide.

    “Depression was the most relevant risk factor associated with suicide.”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Discussion (§4.2; page unavailable) addresses the availability and cultural acceptability of suicide methods, not depression as a risk factor. Searches for “depression,” “mental disorders,” and suicide risk found no passage in our copy identifying depression as the most relevant risk factor; the depression hit is only in a reference title. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • There is a robust association between suicide and depression.

    “The robust association between suicide and depression demands that greater attention be paid to diagnosing this mental disorder, particularly in primary healthcare, and the interventions designed to treat depression are considered as essential to preventing suicide [12,58].”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Conclusions (section 5) discuss suicide methods and restricting access to means, not an association between suicide and depression. Searches for “depression” and related mental-health terms found only reference-list entries, not a passage stating the claimed association. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

4 of the 104 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. [23]Vijayakumar L. India Suicide in Asia: Causes and Prevention Yip P.S.F. Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong, China 2008 121 131
  2. [32]Park B.C.B. Lester D. South Korea Suicide in Asia: Causes and Prevention Yip P.S.F. Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong, China 2008 19 30
  3. [49]Lotrakul M. Thailand Suicide in Asia: Causes and Prevention Yip P.S.F. Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong, China 2008 81 100
  4. [67]Chia B.-H. Chia A. Singapore Suicide in Asia: Causes and Prevention Yip P.S.F. Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong, China 2008 101 120
  5. [92]Liu K.Y. Yip P.S.F. Mainland China Suicide in Asia: Causes and Prevention Yip P.S.F. Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong, China 2008 31 48

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Authors
Wu, K. C.-C., Chen, Y.-Y., & Yip, P. S. F.
Affiliations
  • National Taiwan University (TW)
  • Taipei City Hospital (TW)
  • Hong Kong Jockey Club (HK)
Corresponding author
Chen, Ying-Yeh
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2012-03-28
Volume
9
Issue
4
Pages
1135-1158
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ijerph9041135
PMC
PMC3366604
OpenAlex
W2111409558
Cited by
190
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 5
FWCI
1.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
Keywords
suicide methods, suicide prevention, Asia, suicide trends, charcoal burning, pesticide poisoning, self-immolation, jumping, sociocultural factors, religious factors, economic factors
MeSH terms
Suicide Prevention, Asia, Humans, Suicide

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