Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020

Shuhei Nomura; Takayuki Kawashima; Daisuke Yoneoka; Yuta Tanoue; Akifumi Eguchi; Stuart Gilmour; Yumi Kawamura; Nahoko Harada; Masahiro Hashizume

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113622

Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020

Shuhei Nomura, Takayuki Kawashima, Daisuke Yoneoka, Yuta Tanoue, Akifumi Eguchi, Stuart Gilmour, Yumi Kawamura, Nahoko Harada, Masahiro Hashizume

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

66 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Suicide is an extreme consequence of the psychological burden associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) counter-measures. A quasi-Poisson regression was applied to monthly suicide mortality data obtained from the National Police Agency to estimate the gender-specific excess/exiguous suicide deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan up to September 2020. We found excess suicide deaths among women in July, August and September, but not among men. Our results indicate the importance of COVID-19 related suicide prevention, especially for women. Timely access to mental health care and financial and social support is urgently needed, as is optimal treatment for mental illness.

Original language	English
Article number	113622
Journal	Psychiatry research
Volume	295
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113622
Publication status	Published - Jan 2021
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

COVID-19
Japan
suicide

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health
Biological Psychiatry

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113622

Cite this

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title = "Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020",

abstract = "Suicide is an extreme consequence of the psychological burden associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) counter-measures. A quasi-Poisson regression was applied to monthly suicide mortality data obtained from the National Police Agency to estimate the gender-specific excess/exiguous suicide deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan up to September 2020. We found excess suicide deaths among women in July, August and September, but not among men. Our results indicate the importance of COVID-19 related suicide prevention, especially for women. Timely access to mental health care and financial and social support is urgently needed, as is optimal treatment for mental illness.",

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T1 - Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020

AU - Nomura, Shuhei

AU - Kawashima, Takayuki

AU - Yoneoka, Daisuke

AU - Tanoue, Yuta

AU - Eguchi, Akifumi

AU - Gilmour, Stuart

AU - Kawamura, Yumi

AU - Harada, Nahoko

AU - Hashizume, Masahiro

PY - 2021/1

Y1 - 2021/1

N2 - Suicide is an extreme consequence of the psychological burden associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) counter-measures. A quasi-Poisson regression was applied to monthly suicide mortality data obtained from the National Police Agency to estimate the gender-specific excess/exiguous suicide deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan up to September 2020. We found excess suicide deaths among women in July, August and September, but not among men. Our results indicate the importance of COVID-19 related suicide prevention, especially for women. Timely access to mental health care and financial and social support is urgently needed, as is optimal treatment for mental illness.

AB - Suicide is an extreme consequence of the psychological burden associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) counter-measures. A quasi-Poisson regression was applied to monthly suicide mortality data obtained from the National Police Agency to estimate the gender-specific excess/exiguous suicide deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan up to September 2020. We found excess suicide deaths among women in July, August and September, but not among men. Our results indicate the importance of COVID-19 related suicide prevention, especially for women. Timely access to mental health care and financial and social support is urgently needed, as is optimal treatment for mental illness.

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Trends in suicide in Japan by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to September 2020

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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