Suicides may be contagious, study suggests
/ YonhapA recent study has suggested that suicides among the elderly could be “contagious,” with areas with particularly high rates affecting adjacent areas, a study suggests. The study, by doctoral candidate Choo Yoo-hyeon at Seoul National University’s Environmental Studies program, analyzed suicides between 2003 and 2010. The thesis was made public on Thursday, Yonhap News Agency reported. The research showed that in 2003, regions with high levels of elderly suicide included the Seoul metropolitan area; South Chungcheong, North Jeolla and Gangwon Provinces; as well as Busan and Daegu. By 2004, the high rates in South Chungcheong, North Jeolla as well as South Gyeongsang had expanded to cover surrounding areas. By 2006, the high rates in the Seoul metropolitan area had begun to reach into southern Gyeonggi Province. North Chungcheong began to have higher rates. By 2008, the rate was rising in South Jeolla province. By 2010, the areas with the highest rates had formed into clusters, the report said, according to Yonhap. The the
Dec 11, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan
