Seniors seek suicide solution
- Source: Global Times
- [22:36 September 16 2009]
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Some 185,740 Chinese aged 55 or older reportedly committed suicide in 2007. Photo: CFP
By Jiang Xueqing
If somebody in the world commits suicide every 30 seconds, then about 30 percent of that annual approximate 1 million people are Chinese, according to a recent international medical reserach. Of those, an serious problem is suicide among people aged 55 or older.
"If one day I jumped out of the window, my husband wouldn't even notice until a neighbor told him," said a 58-year-old desperate housewife, who asked not to be named.
Her husband mostly watches TV, barely uttering more than a few words to her, the Beijinger complained. The couple sleeps and eats separately. They even have their own TV sets, she said.
Their only daughter lives in the same city, but rarely returns home – not even at Chinese new year. The two women have locked horns over a small apartment in Zhushikou, a prosperous business district near Qianmen.
The mother wants to sell it for about 200,000 yuan ($29,280) as the old building needs a lot of troublesome maintenance. Mindful of the blossoming Beijing real estate market, her daughter passionately believes that the property is potentially much more valuable. To prevent her mother selling, she threatened to sue her.
"How would you feel if your child said, 'See you in court'?" said the mother, choked with tears.
"She's the only person left in the world with blood ties to me."
The 58-year-old retiree said she could not sleep until 4 am for a whole week. Her thoughts lately have taken a darker turn.
Getting old before getting rich
Of the 2 million Chinese who try suicide every year, about 250,000 people succeed, according to a report released by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
People aged 55 and above belong to a high-risk group. Based on statistics provided by the Ministry of Health, about 185,740 people aged 55 and older committed suicide in China in 2007. The majority lived in the countryside.
In her darkest hour, the mother decided to dial 800-810-0277 for free psychological counseling to the elderly. Launched in June, China's first 24-hour hotline run by volunteers and social service workers receives 20-30 calls daily from across the nation.
"People like me badly need to confide in someone," she said. "I felt a lot better after talking to a volunteer."
"Nobody likes to be abandoned in a corner by others."
Elderly call to talk about health issues, family relations or financial headaches. Many call at 2 or 3 am, says Xu Kun, hotline founder and philosophy professor.
Xu warns that many Chinese are getting old before they get rich, a social time bomb for future governments.
She cited Zhang Yunliang as an example.
Zhang, 62, carried a bucket of gasoline onto a Chengdu city bus on June 5 and set fire to it, according to the Sichuan Province capital's police. The fire left 27 dead and 74 injured.
Jiangsu Province native Zhang reportedly lived alone in a 10-square-meter room in the Dawan neighborhood of Chengdu for 150 yuan rent a month. The room included a bed, a chair, an old desk, a sofa and a closet made of cloth.
Jobless Zhang had long lived off his daughter's remittances. Feigning sickness, he had called her asking for more money. When his daughter found out he was not sick, she cut his monthly stipend to about 1,000 yuan.
About two weeks before the bus fire, a friend of Zhang suggested he return home. Zhang shook his head, saying he was homeless and nobody wanted him as he already owed tens of thousands of yuan to fellow villagers. The story might seem unique but actually reflects the coming of an aging society in China, Xu told the Global Times.
"As the elderly take their life less seriously than the young, senior citizens could be more easily inflamed and more likely to vent their frustration and anger in public," she said.
