March 30, 2022
Yokohama City University
Keio University School of Medicine
A joint research group led by Director Nobuyuki Hotta of the Chemotherapy Center at Yokohama City University Hospital and Assistant Professor Sho Moriguchi of the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Keio University School of Medicine analyzed mortality statistics data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The results confirmed that in fiscal year 2020, the number of suicides per 100,000 people increased by 17% for men and 31% for women compared to the predicted values based on data from fiscal years 2009 to 2019. Furthermore, the increase in deaths by suicide was linked to the unemployment rate during the same period, and the suicide rate for women in their 20s increased by 72%. These findings suggest that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in unemployment, which in turn may have caused a rise in suicides, particularly among young women with vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds.
The results of this research were published in the English-language medical journal "JAMA Open Network" (at 1:00 a.m. on March 30, 2022, JST).
Key Research Findings
Compared to predicted values, the number of suicides in fiscal year 2020 increased by 17% for men and 31% for women.
The number of suicides among women in their 20s increased by 72% compared to the estimated value.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to an increase in unemployment, potentially resulting in a rise in suicides.
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