Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates in Japan through December 2021: An interrupted time series analysis

Yoshioka, Eiji; Hanley, Sharon J.B.; Sato, Yukihiro; Saijo, Yasuaki

doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100480

Cited by 48 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…While previous studies reported an increase in depression and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 28 , 31 , 33 , 34 ), most high volume data on actual suicide attempts failed to show a concomitant increase in suicides ( 10 , 11 , 32 , 35 – 37 ). Our data are in line with these findings and we were able to show that violent suicide attempts did not increase during the first 14 months of the pandemic in Berlin, Germany.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…It is however too early to finalize conclusions on suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing in various countries worldwide. Although the majority of currently published studies on the topic could not show an increase in suicide attempts and completed suicides during the pandemic ( 10 , 11 , 32 , 35 – 37 ), suicides may still rise with a certain delay, as previously seen in periods following natural catastrophes in the US ( 46 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Quality and quantity of serious violent suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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BackgroundWhile repeated shutdown and lockdown measures helped contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and self-isolation negatively impacted global mental health in 2020 and 2021. Although suicide rates did reportedly not increase during the first months of the pandemic, long-term data, and data on the quality of serious violent suicide attempts (SVSAs) are not available to date.Materials and methodsOrthopaedic trauma patient visits to the emergency department (ED), ED trauma team activations, and SVSAs were retrospectively evaluated from January 2019 until May 2021 in four Level-I Trauma Centers in Berlin, Germany. SVSAs were assessed for suicide method, injury pattern and severity, type of treatment, and length of hospital stay.ResultsSignificantly fewer orthopaedic trauma patients presented to EDs during the pandemic (n = 70,271) compared to the control (n = 84,864) period (p = 0.0017). ED trauma team activation numbers remained unchanged. SVSAs (corrected for seasonality) also remained unchanged during control (n = 138) and pandemic (n = 129) periods, and no differences were observed for suicide methods, injury patterns, or length of hospital stay.ConclusionOur data emphasize that a previously reported rise in psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic does not coincide with increased SVSA rates or changes in quality of SVSAs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Quality and quantity of serious violent suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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“…Second, during 2009–2019, decreased suicides among the elderly contributed to a decrease in the national-level suicide rates ( 24 , 25 , 32 , 33 ), whereas during the pandemic, suicides among working-age individuals notoriously increased ( 12 , 14 , 15 , 26 ). An increase in suicides among younger age groups (aged 20–29) during the pandemic is peculiar in light compared to pre-pandemic ( 14 , 27 ). Third, although the specific motives for increasing suicides could not be detected ( 12 , 14 ), suicides at their living place (at home) and by hanging [traditionally the most frequent suicide method in Japan ( 23 , 32 )] among females during the pandemic accounted the for the increasing suicide numbers in Japan ( 14 , 15 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several studies have tried to identify the features responsible for the increased suicides during the pandemic phase in Japan ( 12 , 14 , 15 , 26 , 27 ) because this increase was associated with various complicated factors ( 12 , 14 , 26 , 28 , 29 ). Until recently, various risk factors for an increase in suicide numbers during the pandemic were reported ( 12 , 14 , 15 , 26 , 27 ). First, Werther's effect (copycat suicide) ( 30 ) was seen to have a significant role in the transient/drastic increase in suicides in October 2020 ( 12 , 15 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the changing relationship between personal consumption and suicide mortality during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, using governmental and personal consumption transaction databases

Matsumoto

Kawano²,

Motomura³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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During the early stages of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, suicides did not increase in most countries/regions. Japan, however, was an exception to this, reporting increased numbers of female suicides with no changes in male suicide. To explore the trends of increasing suicides, the fluctuations of personal consumption (as an indicator of lifestyle) and standardized suicide death rate (SDR) disaggregated by age, sex, and prefecture, were determined using a linear mixed-effect model. Additionally, fixed effects of personal consumption on SDR during the pandemic were also analyzed using hierarchical linear regression models with robust standard errors. During the first wave of the pandemic, SDR for both sexes decreased slightly but increased during the second half of 2020. SDR of females younger than 70 years old and males younger than 40 years old continued to increase throughout 2021, whereas SDR for other ages of both sexes did not increase. Personal consumption expenditures on out-of-home recreations (travel agencies, pubs, and hotels) and internet/mobile communication expenses decreased, but expenditures on home-based recreations (contents distribution) increased during the pandemic. Increased expenditures on internet/mobile communication were related to increasing SDR of both sexes. Increasing expenditures on content distributions were related to increasing females' SDR without affecting that of males. Decreasing expenditures on pubs were related to increasing SDR of both sexes in the non-metropolitan region. These findings suggest that transformed individual lifestyles, extended time at home with a decreased outing for contact with others, contributed to the progression of isolation as a risk of suicide. Unexpectedly, increasing compensatory contact with others using internet/mobile communication enhanced isolation resulting in increased suicide risk.

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“… 3 Suicide rates now appear to be higher in Japan than they were pre-pandemic for many age and sex groups. 4 , 5 , 6 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and suicide: Evidence from Japan

Spittal¹

2022

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates in Japan through December 2021: An interrupted time series analysis

Cited by 48 publications

References 25 publications

Quality and quantity of serious violent suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic

Quality and quantity of serious violent suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic

Analyzing the changing relationship between personal consumption and suicide mortality during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, using governmental and personal consumption transaction databases

COVID-19 and suicide: Evidence from Japan

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