The number of people who have committed suicide in Japan has exceeded those who have died from Covid-19

While death tolls have increased worldwide due to the coronavirus outbreak, there has been a large increase in suicide cases in Japan. The number of people who committed suicide in Japan in October has exceeded the number of people who have died from Covid-19 since the outbreak began.

Experts warned that the outbreak could lead to a mental health crisis and said that mass unemployment, social isolation and anxiety have caused great harm to people in this process.

According to the Japan National Police Agency, 2,153 people committed suicide in Japan in October. In the statement released on Friday by the Ministry of Health, 2.87 people have died from Covid-19 since the beginning of the epidemic.

JAPAN IS ONE OF THE SEVERAL COUNTRIES THAT HAVE EXPLAINED SUICIDE DATA OVER TIME

Japan is one of the few countries to release suicide data on time. The United States announced its latest national suicide data in 2018. With the data announced by Japan, it is expected to be able to reach insights into the impact of restrictions applied during the epidemic on people’s mental health and which groups are the more vulnerable.

“WE HAVE A GREAT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES”

“We haven’t even experienced total isolation,” said Michiko Ueda, an associate professor at Waseda University who specializes in suicide. The impact of Covid-19 is very small compared to other countries, but we have nevertheless seen a notable increase in the number of suicides. This suggests that other countries may see a similar or greater increase in the number of suicides in the future, “he said.

THE RATE OF SUICIDE IN WOMEN IS INCREASING

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan has long been the country with the highest suicide rate in the world. In 2016, the suicide rate in Japan was 18.5 per 100,000 people. Although Japan has a better suicide rate than South Korea alone in the Western Pacific region, it has nearly three times the global annual average of 10.6 suicides per 100,000 people. The reasons for the high suicide rate in Japan are long working hours, school pressure, social isolation and stigma.

Last year, the number of suicide deaths in Japan dropped to 20,000, the lowest in statistics since 1978. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of suicides in Japan has steadily declined over the past 10 years through 2019. L epidemic appears to reverse the downward trend in suicide and the rise in suicides affects women disproportionately.

Although men make up the majority of those who commit suicide in Japan, the number of women who commit suicide is on the rise. In October, suicides among women in Japan increased by about 83% compared to the same month last year. Male suicides increased by nearly 22% over the same period.

The rise in the suicide rate among women is cited as the fact that the majority of part-time workers in the hotel, restaurant and retail sectors where layoffs are intense are women.

According to research conducted by CARE, an international humanitarian organization, with more than 10,000 people worldwide, it was found that during the epidemic, 27% of women had more difficulty protecting their mental health, while this rate it remained at 10% for men.

THE PRESSURE ON CHILDREN INCREASES

Japan is the only G-7 country where suicide is the leading form of death for young people aged 15 to 39. According to the Ministry of Health, suicides among young people under the age of 20 were on the rise before the outbreak of the epidemic.

According to an Internet search conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development with more than 8,700 parents and children, 75% of school-age children show signs of stress from the outbreak.

IN 2003, AROUND 34 THOUSAND PEOPLE DID SUICIDE

After the financial crisis of the 1990s, the suicide rate in Japan rose to a record high in 2003, when around 34,000 people took their own lives. Experts point out that at the time, embarrassment and anxiety, mostly caused by male layoffs, contributed to the depression and increased suicide rates.

The government of Japan has increased its investments and efforts to prevent suicide and support survivors, including the passage of the Suicide Prevention Base Act in 2006. (UAV)