Relationship Of Socioeconomic Status With Mental Health And Lifestyle Behaviour in Japanese Elderly People

THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE OF JAPANESE ELDERLY PEOPLE

The National Police Agency (NPA) reported in early 2003 that the highest suicide in Japan are mostly the elderly people, they have registered a record of 11,529 of people men and women 60 years of age and above while people age 50 to 59 consist of 8,614 cases of suicide that nearly comprises 58.5% percent of suicide in Japan and the primary reasons for most of this suicide is the health related problems and the rising cost of health care, depression, isolation and socioeconomic conditions that most of them especially the elderly have chosen to took their lives rather than being a problem in the society. In the recent survey of 2007 suicide of the elderly have risen to 12,107 records are 60 years of age that was just 40% percent of the overall figure that there are suicide committed in the community of various age groups in every fifteen minutes by inhalation of gas, household fuel and detergent and mixing other chemicals that causes death making Japan having the highest record of the suicide rate.

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems of the elderly people in Japan. This feeling has been acquired because of regression and weakening of their body and mind that they tend to draw back and lose hope of their future knowing that they are isolated and worthless. Usually the cases of the elderly has a troublesome lifestyle including poor health, less physical activity, loneliness lifestyle, poor sleeping, old age addiction to smoking, drinking and most of all lack of social support. Depression is also acquired because of their socioeconomic status that their low income capacity to get what they want especially women who have not married have a strong suicidal tendency because they may have not gain support from their family.

The socioeconomic status of most of this elderly even the middle age people have experienced poverty stricken lifestyle, bankruptcy of their business as a part of recession making them at risk to neglect their own life and isolate themselves in remote areas. They are also having a problem to find employment since they cannot be accepted because of their conditions that they are not mentally and physically fit to work and all that’s left is there memory during their youth. Some elderly chooses to live in the mountain and far from the community making them more isolated in the social world. Since 2003 at the base of Mount Fuji, the Aokigara woods has become a well known place to be called the “suicide forest” because there are many reports of elderly suicide in this place hanging themselves on trees, still it is the socioeconomic, mental and physical health problem has been the main reasons of their suicidal thoughts.

According to psychologist and medical experts that usually the mental conditions of the elderly has been entirely affected because of the change in their lifestyle if they cannot take enough of them in their life and loses hope the possibility and restlessness to commit suicide will be their escape. There are also cultural and social factors that can also trigger their mental conditions to pursue such suicidal thoughts. If they have gain religious strength or probably someone who can take care of the elderly that they are still needed and they are important they may still thought about their conditions to live a good life. Most definitely they have not just loses hope and self esteem but they also lack love and acceptance in their family which is primarily the most important.

The government has already answered to review their anti-suicide law as early as 2007 and they expect a dramatic changes and decrease records until 2016. The government releases funds for prevention measures through counseling, employing police to suicide hotspot, strict monitoring of activities in the community and online ban of websites that encourage suicide. Experts still think that these programs may not still work because there were not enough counseling agencies who can handle the large crowd who are suffering from mental conditions, socioeconomic and health problems. The largest phone helpline in Inocho no Denwa in Japan are not even psychiatrists and they only have 300 volunteers that they may not even offer a face to face counseling which is what is really needed. The government must also need to offer more financial help or work for the elderly if possible because this has been the prime reasons of the elderly. But the experts themselves have not found enough suggestion for the right cure. The suicidal thoughts of the elderly people in Japan have become a social stigma and mental illness that affects the conditions of their society in general.

References:

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)60900-9/fulltext

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/FG28Dh01.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3041738/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7463139.stm

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