Suicide Rates in Evacuation Areas After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

Abstract

Abstract. Background: Associations between nuclear disasters and suicide have been examined to a limited extent. Aim: To clarify the suicide rates in evacuation areas after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, which occurred in March 2011. Method: This descriptive study used monthly data from vital statistics between March 2009 and December 2015. Suicide rates in areas to which evacuation orders had been issued, requiring across-the-board, compulsory evacuation of residents from the entire or part of municipalities, were obtained and compared with the national average. Results: Male suicide rates in evacuation areas increased significantly immediately after the disaster, and then began to increase again 4 years after the disaster. Female suicide rates declined slightly during the first year and then increased significantly over the subsequent 3-year period. Moreover, male rates in areas where evacuation orders were issued for the total area declined over the course of approximately 2 years, but then began to increase thereafter. Analysis by age revealed postdisaster male rates in evacuation areas decreased for those aged 50–69 years and increased for those aged ≤ 29 years and ≥ 70 years. Limitations: The number of suicides among females and the female population in the evacuation area was small. Conclusion: Our findings suggest the need to keep in mind that, when providing post-disaster mental health services, suicide rates can eventually increase even if they initially decrease.

Mental health consequences for survivors of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a systematic review. Part 2: emotional and behavioral consequences

“…Of the extracted 61 studies, 41 studies (67.2%) assessed emotional consequences (Table 1), whereas 28 studies (45.9%) evaluated behavioral consequences (Table 2). 16,19,29,[32][33][34][35]51,[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72] Eight studies (13.1%) evaluated both emotional and behavioral outcomes. 16,19,29,[32][33][34][35]51 Nearly half (n = 30, 49.2%) of the studies used community data.…”

“…64 Three studies (4.9%) used government statistics data and made prepost disaster comparisons for each study. 46,65,67 Two studies (3.3%) used medical record data acquired immediately after the disaster. 53,56 A study reporting intervention methods or effects was not included in the present review.…”

Current Psychological Distress, Post-traumatic Stress, and Radiation Health Anxiety Remain High for Those Who Have Rebuilt Permanent Homes Following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

“…Mental health has also been affected by the loss of employment and/or community ties due to the nuclear disaster and subsequent residential relocation, with consequent drastic changes in living circumstances [ 9 ]. It is possible that these situations have led to the increased suicide rates in the evacuation area [ 10 ].…”

Short-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal ideation: A prospective cohort study

“…Although no Japanese study has investigated whether people have experienced changes in social connectedness during the pandemic, a study in the United Kingdom in June 2020 found that 47%, 45%, and 31% of survey respondents felt more connected with their family members, neighbors, and local community, respectively, during lockdown (Abrams et al, 2020). Studies on the effect of natural and human-induced disasters on suicide (Matsubayashi et al, 2013;Orui et al, 2018;Safarpour et al, 2020) show that suicide rates tend to rise after a large disaster (Safarpour et al, 2020), but can temporarily drop after a natural disaster, as long as the scale of the disaster is not very large (Matsubayashi et al, 2013). This is because social integration tends to increase after natural disasters, which can protect against suicide risk (Matsubayashi et al, 2013).…”