In Japan, pandemic and celebrity deaths are probably behind the rise in suicides

Japan has seen an increase in the number of people taking their own lives in recent months, as anxieties caused by the coronavirus pandemic take an emotional and psychological toll.

The trend is believed to have been exacerbated by the apparent suicides of celebrities and has caused mental experts to struggle to react.

Yasuyuki Shimizu, representative director of the Center for the Promotion of Suicide Countermeasures in Japan, warned that the risk of suicide is growing in Japan, especially for women, and his concern is borne out by the numbers.

Female suicides began to increase in June compared to the previous year and November marked the sixth consecutive month of increase, registering a jump of 88.6% in October, according to provisional data from the National Police Agency compiled on December 16. The total number of suicides from July to November also increased from the previous year.

“The anxieties or problems that women tend to face are likely to have worsened during the pandemic,” said Shimizu, with factors such as mental illness, financial and employment difficulties, child education and domestic violence contributing to female suicide rates.

“Today, it is not uncommon for women to be the main providers of income in their families, although many of them remain in non-permanent positions. If they are fired or their contracts are not renewed, it affects not only them, but entire families, ”he said.

Professional counselors have also drawn a link between the pandemic and the increased risk of suicide.

The non-profit organization Tokyo Mental Health Square, near Ikebukuro station, offers consultations through private messages, telephone and face-to-face meetings, among others.

Counselors pay close attention to specific signals provided by clients when assessing their level of risk. This includes whether they express a firm intention to kill themselves instead of a vague desire, indicate a method or specify a location and date, according to Katsuyoshi Shingyouchi, head of the organization’s counseling center.

If counselors think a client is at high risk of suicide, they report the case to the police, who ask telecommunications companies to reveal personal information about the individual, Shingyouchi said.

“I was talking to my team around August that there could be something going on, as the number of cases that we were reporting to the police was increasing,” he said.

The following month, the center saw an increase in the number of people accessing its social media consultation service after the death of popular actress Yuko Takeuchi in an apparent suicide, with daily consultations jumping from about 200 to about 1,800 shortly after her death. .

The death of Takeuchi, 40, in late September, and that of actor Haruma Miura, 30, in July, are among the recorded cases in Japan of celebrities who appear to commit suicide during the pandemic.

“Those who barely survived under the stress of the pandemic may have let themselves go, possibly caused by the apparent suicides of well-known actors and news about them,” said Shimizu of JSCP.

The number of suicides in Japan has declined annually in the 10 years to 2019. However, the cumulative number from January to November this year reached 19,225, approaching the 2019 total of 20,169 more, police data showed.

Deeply concerned about the trend, Shimizu said the government should consider loosening eligibility requirements for welfare payments to help people overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Information about the pension system also needs to be published more aggressively so that people in need understand how the system can help them, said Shimizu, whose job includes advising a group of lawmakers charged with preventing suicide.

“If people are found to be ineligible for emergency aid or other support measures, they should not have the impression that their lives are over. As a last resort, there are always social security payments, ”he said, emphasizing that social security is not a charity, but a public system that all eligible individuals are entitled to use.

“Now, more than ever, it is time for this public system to be fully utilized,” he said.

Regarding the influence of media reports on apparent celebrity suicides, Shimizu said that the mainstream media appears to have become more cautious in the way they report, according to World Health Organization guidelines. But there is still room for improvement. when it comes to the types of stories that populate the internet and social media, he said.

“It is essential to develop a system that prevents sensational reports from spreading continuously,” he added.

The WHO suicide prevention resource for media professionals says they should be especially careful when reporting suicides involving celebrities who are often revered by the community and who are likely to influence the behavior of vulnerable individuals.

“Reports should not extol suicide, should not describe the method in detail and should comment on its impact on others,” he says, adding that information on where to get help should be included in any story about suicide.

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