HELSINKI, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Elderly people are much more likely to end their lives than younger people, reported Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat Wednesday quoting a research result by Statistics Finland.

    According to the report, there were nearly 1000 suicide attempt cases in Finland in 2007, about 190 of which were carried out by people over 65 years old. Although the number of suicidal old people is not prominent, men over 75 years are the most likely to succeed when attempting suicide, their suicide risk is much higher than younger people.

    Britta Sohlman, a researcher at Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, said that illnesses that diminish mobility and loneliness could be the main causes of some suicides by elderly people. Pain, the loss of family members and a fear of being a burden have also driven some elderly to end their lives.

    The situation has been existed long among Nordic and many western countries. Britta Sohlman pointed out that elder people with mental health problems usually get less attention and treatment than young people could be the reason for that.