China | Old and sad

Nearly one-third of suicides in China are by old people

It can be lonely when your child has moved to a city

AS CHINA AGES, worries are mounting about the mental health of its elderly population. Globally, suicide rates among old people tend to be higher than average. In China this is especially true. People there aged 70 and above kill themselves at more than four times the rate of the general population, compared with around a quarter more in America. Loneliness and inadequate health care are among the main reasons.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Old and sad”

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