It is a cause for alert that in the past most suicide victims were old people, but in recent years there has been a gradual lowering of the average age. Alongside cancer and traffic accidents, suicide is one of the three principal causes of death among men and women aged 15 to 44. The prevention of suicide has become a global issue.
值得警覺的是，以往自殺族群多集中於老年人，但近年來，年齡層已向下延伸，自殺和惡性腫瘤與事故傷害並列，成為十五到四十四歲男女性的三大死因之一，防範自殺已是全球面臨的重大議題。