According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people worldwide suffered from depression, and more than 700,000 people died by suicide in 2016. In addition, for each suicide, there were more than 20 suicide attempts. (WHO, 2020) Suicide has received increasing attention in recent years from both researchers and public health campaigns, as well as being an important topic in the international public health community. (Turecki et al., 2019)

The status quo

In the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many people are worried about whether the suicide rate will increase because many areas have home quarantine rules, and it may lead to anxiety about infection, sadness, disruption of care, domestic violence, alcohol, and economic recession. ( Appleby, 2021) However, relevant data show that suicide rates in high-income counties were neither rising nor falling, except in Japan.(John et al., 2020) Japan experienced a 20% drop in mortality early in the pandemic, but an increase of 7.7% was reported in August.(Ueda, Nordström and Matsubayashi, 2021)

The downward trend in suicide at the beginning of the term has been demonstrated in previous epidemics, which is possibly related to a ” honeymoon period” or “pulling together” phenomenon. ( John et al., 2020) As for the increasing trend, it had many changes. In the past, mortality from suicide varies substantially by age and sex in Japan, with significantly higher rates among men and older age groups. However, A large number of suicide deaths were reported by women in October, with a 72-84% increase compared to previous years. An excess number of suicide deaths were also reported by men, with a 10-22% increase compared to previous years. (Eguchi et al., 2021) COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the mental health of individuals in Japan, especially women.

Causes of the rising suicide rate

A stroke of bad luck is known to be associated with an increase in suicide rates, particularly for the working-age and unemployed, especially in countries with a high income. As of 16 October 2020, more than 66,000 people in Japan have lost their jobs owing to COVID-19, and the unemployment rate has risen to 3%, leading to a possible rise in suicide rates. (Nomura et al., 2021) Young people and females are likely to be employed in lower-paying temporary jobs with unstable, precarious contracts, as well as in the service sector that has been severely affected by the pandemic. (Eguchi et al., 2021)

Specifically, it’s common to find women employed as temporary workers, earning lower salaries and working under insecure contracts in Japan. According to data, the number of male workers decreased by 300,000, while the number of female workers decreased by 490,000 in September 2020 versus September 2019. ( Nomura et al., 2021) Negative influences are more prevalent among women in the workplace than among men. Unemployed women suffer from mental health problems at uncommon high rates, resulting in an abnormally high suicide rate. Women are likely to be adversely affected by straitened circumstances and changing care patterns, who often shoulder disproportionate household responsibilities and are likely to be overwhelmed by uncertainty in economic and social terms causing higher psychosocial stress. (Nomura et al., 2021)

What is more, rising domestic violence is another important reason for the sharp increase in female suicide. Several reports claim that domestic violence consultations with national and local governments increased by 60% after the first state of an emergency announcement in April 2020 in Japan.

How to take effective measures?

In view of the above problems, the government needs to take relevant measures to reduce the suicide rate. Depending on how governments respond to the economic times of crisis, it can exacerbate or mitigate mental health problems and suicide rates.(Matsubayashi, Sekijima and Ueda, 2020) For example, direct income assistance, including cash transfers and increased unemployment benefits; tax concessions and delaying or eliminating social security payables to temporary workers. For females, it is supposed to ensure women’s income, eliminate gender discrimination in the workplace, and implement paid vacations. (Nomura et al., 2021) In terms of domestic violence, the Cabinet Secretariat established a 24-hour consultation service for domestic violence as part of its response to COVID-19 in May 2020 to ensure women who are victims of domestic violence have places to consult and work out their problems. Other measures are also useful to decrease suicide rates like increasing virtual linkages for social support and mental health care delivery via video calls, telephones, social media, and reporting the news responsibly so as not to create unnecessary fear or hopelessness.

 References

Appleby, L. (2021) ‘What has been the effect of covid-19 on suicide rates?’, The BMJ, 372. doi: 10.1136/BMJ.N834.

Eguchi, A. et al. (2021) ‘Suicide by gender and 10-year age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic vs previous five years in Japan: An analysis of national vital statistics’, Psychiatry Research, 305, p. 114173. doi: 10.1016/J.PSYCHRES.2021.114173.

John, A. et al. (2020) ‘Trends in suicide during the covid-19 pandemic’, The BMJ, 371. doi: 10.1136/BMJ.M4352.

Matsubayashi, T., Sekijima, K. and Ueda, M. (2020) ‘Government spending, recession, and suicide: Evidence from Japan’, BMC Public Health, 20(1). doi: 10.1186/S12889-020-8264-1.

Nomura, S. et al. (2021) ‘Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020’, Psychiatry Research, 295, p. 113622. doi: 10.1016/J.PSYCHRES.2020.113622.

Turecki, G. et al. (2019) ‘Suicide and suicide risk’, Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 5(1). doi: 10.1038/S41572-019-0121-0.

Ueda, M., Nordström, R. and Matsubayashi, T. (2021) ‘Suicide and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan’, Journal of Public Health. doi: 10.1093/PUBMED/FDAB113.

WHO (no date) Suicide. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/suicide#tab=tab_1 (Accessed: 11 October 2021).

The Impact Of COVID-19 On Suicide Rates In Japan / Eva Xia / Global Health Challenges: An Introduction (2021-2022)[SEM1] by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0