Suicide rates during social crises: Changes in the suicide rate in Japan after the Great East Japan earthquake and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide attempts in a rural region in Germany, a 5-year observational study

“…Other studies have shown differences in more significant psychosocial stress among women during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Kimhi et al, 2020 ). Present results could also not confirm the observation of larger increase in suicides in females during pandemic in Japan ( Osaki et al, 2021 ; Tanaka and Okamoto, 2021 ), which could be explained by the cultural differences. Women were more challenged in caring for children, family, or elders, and the feeling of being needed could be a suicide-preventive factor.…”

“…Previous studies, which investigated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of suicides, reported inhomogeneous results. Whereas Osaki et al (2021) observed an increase in suicide rates during the second pandemic wave in Japan, especially in females, Leske et al (2021) did not find any change in suicide rates compared to the pre-pandemic period by analyzing real-time suicide data in Queensland, Australia, from Feb 1 to Aug 31, 2020. Also, Radeloff et al (2021) showed stable suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic in Leipzig, Germany, compared to previous years.…”

Reasons for Suicide During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

“…33,34 Additionally, ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in suicide rates among women, a phenomenon that has also been observed internationally. 35,36 Considering that the period of increase in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the longest compared with that of all other large-scale natural disasters, 37 it is necessary to implement optimal suicide prevention measures in Japan. Furthermore, although several studies have highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the risk of poor mental health, few have used national-level data to examine suicide in this period.…”

Have deaths of despair risen during the COVID-19 pandemic? A rapid systematic review

“…Some studies examined deaths of despair by population characteristics. Eighteen studies assessed the difference in sex and 14 in age groups for suicide death in Japan 24,47,53,55-57,88 , Australia 58,59 , US 61,89 Peru 51,52 , Korea 30 , Norway 38 , China 49 , India 48 and Italy 32 . Studies conducted in Japan and Korea showed that the suicide rate significantly increased or showed higher rates among women and younger age groups than men and older age groups.…”