The middle‐aged generation is at high risk for suicide in Japan

Ohara, Kenshiro; Xie, Da; Matsunaga, Tsutomu; Sano, H.; Miyasato, Katsumasa

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb01548.x

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…1 As in many other countries, elderly suicide is an important public health issue, those 70 years of age and older having the highest suicide rate. [2][3][4][5][6] Suicide rates vary regionally, [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] and among Canadian provinces British Columbia had the highest suicide rate at the time of a national overview. 16 Among many factors with potential influence, season and weather effects are of interest.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Season and Weather on Suicide Rates in the Elderly in British Columbia

Marion

Agbayewa

Wiggins

1999

Can J Public Health

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confidence: 99%

The Effect of Season and Weather on Suicide Rates in the Elderly in British Columbia

Marion

Agbayewa

Wiggins

1999

Can J Public Health

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“…In the present study, moreover, we found that in cases of middle‐aged or elderly suicide, hanging was used frequently rather than other methods such as falling or drowning. The results of the aforementioned studies show that middle‐aged and elderly people have a higher risk for committing suicide in Japan 6,7,26 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Japanese government officials stated that the widening disparity was caused by a 40% rise in suicides among men, notably among middle‐aged men threatened with redundancy 5 . This tendency had been suggested by other studies since the early 1990s 6,7 . More recently, Aihara and Iki reported that the recent increase in the suicide rate in Japan was related to some socioeconomic factors, such as job applications and divorce 8,9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Economic slump and suicide method: Preliminary study in Kobe

Abe

Shioiri²,

Nishimura

et al. 2004

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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During the recent half decade, Japan's suicide rate at approximately 25 deaths per 100 000 people has been one of the highest rates in the world. From the perspective of suicide prevention by restricting access to suicidal means, the aim of the present study was to examine what kind of suicidal method increased during prolonged economic slump. During 21 years (1981-2001), for all suicide victims (5161 cases) the gender, age, and suicide methods were investigated. The yearly full unemployment rate was also used as a representative socioeconomic factor during the same periods in Japan using government statistics, and the relationship between methods of suicide and full unemployment rate was investigated. Pearson's correlation suggested that there was a significant correlation only for hanging rate (r = 0.736, P < 0.001), but not for the percentages of other methods of suicide. This finding that unemployed persons may have a susceptibility towards certain suicide methods could help in the prevention of suicides. Mental health in Japan should be given more attention, especially for the working population, and social programs offering help should be considered widely.

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“…In Japan, a dramatic rise in a suicide rate was observed in the 1950s, and then the rate decreased just as rapidly in the 1960s [7, 8]. The rate in Japan was one of the highest worldwide in the 1950s [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rate in Japan was one of the highest worldwide in the 1950s [9]. It has been suggested that this change may be associated with the traumatic or difficult experiences of Japanese people during and after World War II and socioeconomic factors, such as unemployment rates, in the 1950s and 1960s in Japan [7, 8, 10, 11]. Concerning suicide methods used frequently during these periods in Japan, Araki et al reported that suicide rates due to poisoning by solid and liquid substances in young people changed markedly in this period, and that these means were responsible for the rapid change [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of secular trends in method-specific suicides in Japan, 1950–1975

Yoshioka

Saijo

Kawachi

2017

Popul Health Metrics

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BackgroundIn Japan, a dramatic rise in suicide rates was observed in the 1950s, especially among the younger population, and then the rate decreased rapidly again in the 1960s. The aim of this study was to assess secular trends in method-specific suicides by gender and age in Japan between 1950 and 1975. We paid special attention to suicides by poisoning (solid and liquid substances), and their contribution to dramatic swings in the overall suicide rate in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s.MethodsMortality and population data were obtained from the Vital Statistics of Japan and Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan, respectively. We calculated method-specific age-standardized suicide rates by gender and age group (15–29, 30–49, or 50+ years).ResultsThe change in the suicide rate during the research period was larger in males than females in all age groups, and was more marked among people aged 15–29 years compared to those aged 30–49 years and 50 years or over. Poisoning by solid and liquid substances overwhelmingly contributed to the dramatic change in the overall suicide rates in males and females aged 15–49 years in the 1950s and 1960s. For the peak years of the rise in poisoning suicides, bromide was the most frequently used substance.ConclusionsOur results for the 1950s and 1960s in Japan illustrated how assessing secular trends in method-specific suicides by gender and age could provide a deeper understanding of the dramatic swings in overall suicide rate. Although rapid increases or decreases in suicide rates have been also observed in some countries or regions recently, trends in method-specific suicides have not been analyzed because of a lack of data on method-specific suicide in many countries. Our study illustrates how the collection and analysis of method-specific data can contribute to an understanding of dramatic shifts in national suicide rates.

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The middle‐aged generation is at high risk for suicide in Japan

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

The Effect of Season and Weather on Suicide Rates in the Elderly in British Columbia

The Effect of Season and Weather on Suicide Rates in the Elderly in British Columbia

Economic slump and suicide method: Preliminary study in Kobe

An analysis of secular trends in method-specific suicides in Japan, 1950–1975

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