Recent statistics from Japan’s health ministry revealed some pretty appalling findings relating to deaths from suicide.
According to media reports, the government claims that suicide claimed a greater number of lives last month. This is in comparison to the death rate relating to COVID-19, during the entire year. Today, health experts are noticing a trend that has many people in absolute awe. And that relates to how the number of deaths from Japanese suicides increased greatly in October.
Currently, the figures for suicides stood at 2153, as reported by the Japanese National Police Agency. On the contrary, the country’s total COVID-19 figures were 2087. Therefore, the recent spike in suicides continues to alarm as well as baffle plenty of leading officials.
After showing a marked decrease over the recent years. the number of monthly suicides increased to their greatest number, since the month of May in 2015.
Japan is considered to be one of several major economies that actually disclose data relating to suicides. For instance, the last time the U.S. released its suicide data was 2018.
According to experts, this data is a leading example for other nations regarding insights on pandemic pressures. Moreover, it helps health experts understand the impact that the recent pandemic has on mental health and peace of mind. Similarly, experts claim that the data is beneficial at targeting those groups that might be the most vulnerable.
A renowned professor from Tokyo’s Waseda University, Michiko Ueda, explained how the country didn’t even go into lockdown. However, it still managed to get affected minimally by COVID-19. At the same time, Ueda explains how there is still a massive spike in suicide numbers.
Therefore, he suggested that other nations might be viewing another similar or greater increase in terms of suicide rates of the future.
A study published by the WHO recently explained how Japan remains to be a nation struggling with leading suicide rates across the globe. The country’s suicide mortality rates are equivalent to 18.5 per 100,000 individuals. And that is second to South Korea when looking at the Western Pacific area.
While the actual reasons for the high rates of suicide are complex, experts cite a number of contributing factors.
And that includes social isolation, long working hours, cultural stigma relating to mental health problems, and school pressure. Above all, the rise in suicides is more common amongst women with females who take their own lives, increasing by the minute.