Suicide Rates In Japan Rise During The Second Wave Of COVID-19

JAKARTA - Recent research has revealed that the suicide rate in Japan jumped in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the suicide rate in the first wave of the pandemic had dropped. This is because during the first wave of various aid policies for the Japanese people it was still rolling.

Reporting by Reuters, Tuesday, January 19, researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science Technology and the Tokyo Metropolitan Gerontology Institute noted that the suicide rate per July-October 2020 was up 16 percent from the previous year period. However, in the first wave of COVID-19 or February-June the suicide rate decreased.

"Unlike normal economic conditions, this pandemic disproportionately affects the psychological health of children, adolescents, and women (especially housewives)," wrote the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.

Researchers took a sample of the suicide rate from the Ministry of Health data for the period November 2016 to October 2020. From that period, researchers found that the suicide rate in children jumped to 49 percent in the second wave, according to the national school closure period.

The increase in the suicide rate was allegedly due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the burden of working people is getting higher, and the rate of violence in domestic violence due to economic problems has increased.

“People are worried about COVID-19. But many people also kill themselves because they lose their jobs, lose their income, and don't see hope. We need to strike a balance between managing COVID-19 and managing the economy, ”said Administrative Reform and Regulatory Minister Taro Kono.