Suicides in Japan rise 16% in second wave of COVID-19 after falling in first: study

Suicide rates in Japan rose in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among women and children, even though they fell in the first wave when the government offered generous offers to people, a survey found.

The July-October suicide rate rose 16% from the same period a year earlier, a sharp reversal of the February-June decline of 14%, according to a study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.

“Unlike normal economic circumstances, this pandemic disproportionately affects the psychological health of children, adolescents and women (especially housewives),” the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior on Friday.

The study found that the early decline in suicides was affected by factors such as government subsidies, reduced work hours and school closures.

But the decline has reversed – the suicide rate has risen 37 percent for women, about five times as much as men – as the prolonged pandemic hurts industries where women predominate, increasing the burden on working mothers, while domestic violence has risen. , is shown in the report.

The study, based on data from the Ministry of Health from November 2016 to October last year, found that the suicide rate of children increased by 49% in the second wave, corresponding to the period after school closure nationwide.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga issued a state of emergency COVID-19 to Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures this month in a bid to halt the renaissance. He extended it last week to seven more prefectures, including Osaka and Kyoto.

Taro Kono, the minister of administrative and regulatory reforms, said on Thursday that although the government would consider extending the state of emergency, “it cannot kill the economy”.

“People are worried about COVID-19. But a lot of people have committed suicide because they lost their jobs, they lost their income and they couldn’t see hope,” he said. “We need to find a balance between managing COVID-19 and managing the economy.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of emergency, please call 119 in Japan for immediate assistance. The TELL lifeline is available to those who need free and anonymous counseling at 03-5774-0992. You can also visit telljp.com. For those in other countries, go to www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html for a detailed list of resources and support.