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After dropping from the 9th spot to the 11th, suicide is no longer on the list of Taiwan's top ten causes of death, according to last year's stats. The Department of Health is contributing the improvement to the notification system and door-to-door visits, which have helped prevent many tragedies from occurring. As for this year, DOH said that they will put their main focus on the suicide prevention of those that are over 65 years old. According to Department of Health's report on the nation's top ten causes of death, suicide has dropped from 9th place to 11th last year. The number of suicides has been lowered to 3,889, which is a new low in the past five years. Health authorities say the number of suicides was gradually climbing since 1993 and reached a peak of 4,406 people in 2006, one year after famous entertainer Ni Ming-ren killed himself in 2005. Though the suicide rate starts to go down, health officials have found an increasing trend, around a 7% increase, in suicides committed by elders, while many of them commit suicide because of chronic illnesses. Health officials said that one phone call can help prevent such tragedy. "The elderly are the highest risk population for suicide. Most cases suffer from chronic illness or mental problems, especially depression, and we need everyone to help address the problem." Department of Health said that approximately two times more men than women commit suicide, while most people commit suicide are aged between 25 and 44. People aged over 65 have the highest suicide death rate, and most of them are troubled by chronic illnesses and depression. "People aged between 25 and 44 are mostly troubled by interpersonal relationships, or mental illness. As for the elderly population, most of them are troubled by chronic diseases." To prevent suicide, the focus of this year's suicide prevention program targets at elders over the age of 65. With a 24-hour hotline launched by DOH, the department has successfully saved 375 lives last year. Health officials said that those who have suicidal thoughts need more attention from people around them, and this is especially true for elders. In fact, one phone call or a once-in-a-month dinner gathering would help lower the suicide rate in elders. ◆ 追蹤更多華視影音及圖文新聞：
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