1,805 suicides reported in Japan in September

It is very sad to see the side effects of this pandemic.

Many forget there are many out there that are not able to cope with this situation, for their own reasons.

Do not underestimate this pandemic - keep practising the social distancing, wear masks indoors, and all the measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

At the same time, ensure you do not forget to reach out to your close ones to make sure they are doing fine - you might be saving a lives doing so!

The number of reported suicides in Japan in September was 1,805

That's even more in just a month than the reported death by the COVID in Japan (so far 1631, probably underestimated but anyway...). Just think about it. This actually illustrates so well that over-reacting to a threat can produce a worse outcome than the threat itself.

The NPA said the number of suicides nationwide has risen for three consecutive months since July. 

Ok so what's the total cumulative number? Like often on Japantoday, incomplete reporting makes the above sentence almost pointless.

More suicides in one month than the total 1,633 coronavirus deaths since March?

So which is the actual national emergency again?

I assume increase is from pandemic related financial stress. Not because of fear from pandemic or lockdown or social distancing. Like all other countries there are people losing jobs, closing business, losing customers. And people who live country like japan that have big taxes must have taking extra pressure from it. Can't say government must do something because same thing happening all around world. Just japan had higher suicide rate than other countries with pandemic or without pandemic.

I’ve said this from day one of lockdown - the deaths from suicide due to corona lockdown Would rival the actual deaths from corona

Japan must be more kind and fair to all people. Not just protecting only self interests and taking advantage of others.

This is the result of an overreacting Ultra-Paranoia, according the Corona Virus, which is successfully sheered by the fear mongering media every day.

Instead of daily fear mongering news, about positive cases and how many people died, the media should better report positive news, like how many people recover every day and how the people can do the best prevention AND continue their daily lives, what is the current positive status of the vaccine investigation, and so on...

Imagine if we hadn’t done anything and just let it run rampant. Scary.

Yeah. We might have ended up like Sweden...........and Japan.

Japan's excess death turns out to be significant low despite the "deadly" pandemic alongside the overall lower death numbers this year. Means, young suicides and suicidal cases are disproportionately more conscious.

上半期の超過死亡、コロナでも減少　過去3年と比較

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO64434200Q0A930C2CR8000/

Everyday about 3,000 people in Japan; far more are dead by traffic accident or food choking than by covid-related, at most around 10, normally one-digit per day.

My point is, we should give attention and care for someone most in need. We should see things in perspective.

Excessive measures, unbalanced/irresponsible reporting and social hysteria have definitely contributed to taking livelihood and ultimately, lives.

Thank you so much for providing the counsel phone number..

If you or anyone you know may be in need of counseling, call TELL at 03-5774-0992.

I don't have much information about effectiveness of helplines but I wonder if there is a reticence in Japan to dial them by those who would benefit or might need counseling.

I would guess they are well thought through but I really have no clue.

I also suggest confiding in a friend for all. I do have limited experience with acquaintances confiding in me with their personal trouble which had them seriously considering suicide or suicidal action.

It is sad news for me to see here today but there are alternatives and for that I am thankful. I'd also like to thank those involved with such alternatives.

Any one of us could be that friend or acquaintance our neighbor needs.

You do realize that people committed suicide before Covid right? The difference (accounting for nothing other than numbers) is:

an increase of 143

Likewise you realize people died before corona too right?

Which is a lot less than 1805 Covid deaths, and unfortunately for you blows your narrative out of the water.

almost exclusively the people who die from coronavirus had already lived long lifes. Most people who commit suicide are physicaly healthy and in what should have been the prime of their lifes.

Which unfortunately for you blows your narrative out of the water.

Numerous studies have shown that economic factors play a sign factor in this phenomenon, particularly among males.

Besides the reality of the virus, a government response favoring corporate bailouts versus aiding distressed individuals plays a large part in this without a doubt.

"The total for females -- 639-- was up 27.5% over last year."

So that means 175 more females committed suicide in Sept 2020 vs Sept 2019.

It's true that in April the rate was 20% lower which is consistent with other "short term" crises. The difference is that although the Stay-at-home period ended in late May, the crisis itself has yet to resolve, and in some ways has worsened, particularly in the employment/financial aspect. The hope of near-term recovery has been obliterated. MANY people have been furloughed, non-renewed, retired due to company(restructuring), etc.

Yes, it's a grave situation (no pun intended) manufactured by the media-induced panic over a pandemic with over 99.5% recovery rate.

more people will be killed by effects of stress related to covid/loosing job,closing business/than fro covid itself.

pls correct me if i am wrong...

Death rates over the past few months don’t reflect your assertion. So it would appear you’re wrong. You’ll at least have to do more to prove you’re right.

we still have the same old people shouting "Shut it all down!!" for a virus that now has almost the same exact IFR and CFR as the flu

Imagine if we hadn’t done anything and just let it run rampant. Scary.

StrangerlandToday  12:40 am JST

The number of reported suicides in Japan in September was 1,805

————

That's even more in just a month than the reported death by the COVID in Japan (so far 1631, probably underestimated but anyway...). Just think about it. This actually illustrates so well that over-reacting to a threat can produce a worse outcome than the threat itself.

You do realize that people committed suicide before Covid right? The difference (accounting for nothing other than numbers) is:

an increase of 143

Which is a lot less than 1805 Covid deaths, and unfortunately for you blows your narrative out of the water.

Well, aren’t you fuckin’ clever

Right?

It still comes to the stigma that a lot of Japanese people have with expressing themselves in fear of looking weak, which is very sad. I do think that is slowly changing but this whole pandemic situation was just too much for some people. We should be a bit more sensitive in the comments.

About 17 per 100,00 per year, slightly more than in the US. Pre-pandemic, the US was at about 13 per 100,000.

There’s a lot of help out there, enough to stop you from pulling da trigger.

it’s nothing unusual, as the figures suggest, but hey, in yer darkest day’s there’s somebody out there that doesn’t know yer but still luvs yer. So hold on.

Health ministry officials say the spike in suicides may be due to depression and anxiety brought on by the coronavirus, as many people have lost their jobs

Many people lost their job yet unemployment remained low at 2.4 percent with contradictory statements like this it is difficult to know what to believe,

1085 deaths in Japan and yet still hard ad a hassle to find a job. Rip

Government needs to do much more to financially support those that have lost jobs and are afraid of what future holds for them... That is the only way to prevent people from loosing all hope and starting to feel suicidal. Also there is a need for support of companies so that they do not need to fire staff to survive. We are living in a unique time that requires unique response from government to support their people and companies or the entire social system will collapse.

@JT - Thank you for having the TELL information at the end of the article. Please consider using this vital information more often, when an article relates to suicide, mental health issues, or other issues that could benefit from counselling.

It might not seem like much, but it could be a lifesaver.

StrangerlandToday 01:15 am JST

I’m afraid of living with the after effects of the virus that hit all ages. If I die, I’m gone and my family is set up to be comfortable for the rest of their lives. If I live with permanent lung scarring... that’s what I worry about.

Don't worry :)

Mark

Taking your own life is as selfish as taking someone else life, the pain and suffering does not end, it gets even worse for the loved ones you leave behind.

And always remember the sun will always rise and bring you a NEW Day and a fresh start.

Umm... No. Not necessarily. It must be nice to have such a fulfilling life. It is not selfish to take your own life. It is selfish to expect others to live for you.

NO lockdowns, No stay home orders, so Get out and get going.

Here, I agree with you.

Don't worry :)

Well I’ve been worried due to all the data and scientists telling me why, but now that some anonymous internet poster has told me not to, it seems legit so I won’t.

It must be exhausting to live in fear, please take of your mental health.

I don’t live in fear - I remain prudent about wearing a mask and social distancing.

If I’m fearful of anything it’s of people who are too stupid to listen to scientists and instead think that the words of a single political party in a single country make more sense than science and data.

I don’t think people are saying that.

Are you sure? A highly upvoted comment says something along the lines.

That's even more in just a month than the reported death by the COVID in Japan (so far 1631, probably underestimated but anyway...). Just think about it. This actually illustrates so well that over-reacting to a threat can produce a worse outcome than the threat itself.

The total number of deaths (including the deaths from influenza and other medical conditions) is lower year-on-year but we still have an increase in the number of suicides during the pandemic. Which comes to show that the increase might have something to do with the continuity of frightening news about the virus in media and social networks.

Actually the deaths from influenza are likely down since there were a lot less cases. In early February it was down by more than 60% compared to the years before in Japan (about 45k new cases per week vs about 129k). Tokyo still had an excess of people that died of flu-like ilnesses (50-60 per week for 5 weeks starting mid February; those numbers are from a news report from May so numbers for later dates were not available). Total numbers unfortunately rarely tell the whole story.

Also, like I said before, suicides were down by 20% early during the pandemic. If the overall number has gone up I don't know. I absolutely think that the pandemic has had an impact, I merely question if it was as big as some people make it out to be. It is quite important to analyze why people decided to commit suicide. I wouldn't be surprised if the pandemit was in fact the last straw that broke the camel's back in many cases but that also means that there was probably already something amiss. By focusing too much on the pandemic as a cause people seem to lose sight of the many other factors that lead to suicides. Those factors were around before the pandemic started and will still be around once the pandemic is over. So while the numbers will likely fall again the underlying issue will likely still be there.

Obviously everything should be done to keep the number of suicides down as much as possible, but it's not a scenario where only one of the two groups can be saved and we have to choose.

@strangerland

Ahh the old, expendable in the eyes of the right.

But the elderly aren't dying here in Japan.

And maybe you’re afraid of dying.

Not at all, I am middle aged

I’m afraid of living with the after effects of the virus that hit all ages. If I die, I’m gone and my family is set up to be comfortable for the rest of their lives. If I live with permanent lung scarring... that’s what I worry about.

It must be exhausting to live in fear, please take of your mental health.

It is actually quite amazing (or should I say shocking?) how people are unable to read those numbers. While the virus will without a doubt have an impact on the number of suicides, there would still be suicides even without the virus around. People did commit suicide even when the virus wasn't around, so why would it be the reason for all suicides now? We don't have much data to go with apart from an increase of 143 or 8.6% compared to the year before. Without more information there is no way to say if there would have been a decrease or even an increase in cases. We saw a drop of 20% in April for instance. By the same logic some display here the virus was also the reason less people committed suicide in April then...

The thing is, we don't have any idea how many people exactly did commit suicide because of the pandemic. It could be the 143 more compared to the year before. It could be more and it could be less. We also don't know if and how many people were saved by taking measures (or rather non-measures) to stop the spread. What if in the same time frame 200 or 300 people have been saved by the measures. Would you still think it was a dumb idea then?

The only thing for certain here is that there was an increase in suicides. Discussing why there was an increase and how big the impact of the virus and the measures was is fine. But going on like all suicides are down to the virus and associated measures is, sorry to put it this way, quite dumb.

As has been pointed out, equating suicide with prevention measures is misguided. NZ has seen reduced suicides this year.

There will be 1806 if you will still keep your borders closed

And/or if they open them too.

There will be 1806 if you will still keep your borders closed

Taking your own life is as selfish as taking someone else life, the pain and suffering does not end, it gets even worse for the loved ones you leave behind.

And always remember the sun will always rise and bring you a NEW Day and a fresh start.

NO lockdowns, No stay home orders, so Get out and get going.

Same people saying corona deaths are inconsequential are here in an uproar over an increase in suicides which is less than the corona mortality for that same month.

The number of reported suicides in Japan in September was 1,805

————

That's even more in just a month than the reported death by the COVID in Japan (so far 1631, probably underestimated but anyway...). Just think about it. This actually illustrates so well that over-reacting to a threat can produce a worse outcome than the threat itself.

You do realize that people committed suicide before Covid right? The difference (accounting for nothing other than numbers) is:

an increase of 143

Which is a lot less than 1805 Covid deaths, and unfortunately for you blows your narrative out of the water.

Likewise you realize people died before corona too right?

Of course. That’s why I literally said that exact thing:

You do realize that people committed suicide before Covid right? 

——————

almost exclusively the people who die from coronavirus had already lived long lifes. Most people who commit suicide are physicaly healthy and in what should have been the prime of their lifes.

Ahh the old, expendable in the eyes of the right.

And maybe you’re afraid of dying. I’m afraid of living with the after effects of the virus that hit all ages. If I die, I’m gone and my family is set up to be comfortable for the rest of their lives. If I live with permanent lung scarring... that’s what I worry about.

and yet we still have the same old people shouting "Shut it all down!!" for a virus that now has almost the same exact IFR and CFR as the flu with not a single thought for unintended consequences like suicide.

It seems pretty much on par with the annual total of around 25,000.

How can that be related to Corona or losing a job? There were also lot of suicides every year before Corona. Now that other problem...You cannot have an extraordinary luxurious lunch or going to your favorite idol’s concert in the evening , if you lost your job and have no money. And you also cannot do it with a job and the highest salary, because you are under stress every day and in your short lunch break and exhausted from work in the evening, or the concert has even already ended when you are finished with overtime work. Only an example, of course.... No, there must be some other reasons for suicidal thoughts, although we all cannot ask the people who were affected and really committed it.