Suicide spike in Japan shows mental health toll of COVID-19

Japan Times ^ | October 9, 2020 | Ayai Tomisawa and Marika Katanuma

[DoodleBob]

The number of suicides rose in Japan in August due to more women and school-aged children taking their own lives — offering a first glimpse into the consequences of the mental health strain brought about by COVID-19 around the globe.

Japan is among a few major economies that releases timely data on suicides as it is a persistent societal issue. The numbers hint at what may be going on around the world as countries grapple with the fallout from mass unemployment and social isolation that’s impacting certain groups of people more than the rest.

Sociologists have long warned that the economic and social disruption wrought by measures to contain the coronavirus could cause more deaths than the pathogen itself. In Japan, the suicide rate has been falling but it remains a top cause of premature deaths — this year, suicide has taken over 13,000 lives, while total COVID-19 fatalities number less than 2,000.

According to government statistics, the number of suicides in August increased by 15.4 percent to 1,854. Although making up a smaller proportion of suicides, the number of women taking their own lives jumped by around 40 percent. The number of suicides by students in elementary to high school more than doubled to 59 from the same period last year.

...

Children present an even more complex picture. Pressured by the pandemic, stressed-out parents “may be missing signs from their children and not being compassionate enough about their problems,” said Mayumi Hangai, a doctor at the National Center for Child Health and Development who has surveyed children’s stress levels during the coronavirus.

Any stress or unhappiness displayed by parents could also transfer to their children, who lack social outlets when schools are closed and extracurricular activities unavailable.

[DoodleBob]

Adjusting Japan's 1,626 fatalities as of Oct 10, 2020 for their population differential vs America yields a 4,200 fatality count, which is well below the US total. But many of us have been talking about the consequences of a hard lock-down. This is the first honest appraisal with actual data I've seen on this topic. The fact that children are taking their own lives should be stapled to the foreheads of American pols and people who support a hard lock-down.

[preacher]

L8r

[shanover]

I believe the total death toll,medical side effects,drug abuse and overall societal decay etc. outweighs the fake death toll from Corona by 10 to 1.

[central_va]

[null and void]

Imagine how isolation is affecting our children. It's bad enough if you have a sibling or two to interact with. For only children it can be excruciating. Solitary confinement is rough on hardened criminals, it must be much worse for innocent children!

We flattened the curve, but the left wasn't satisfied.

We've flattened our children, and they still aren't satisfied.

Or as Livius adds:

But all the “public service” ad pitches for masks, isolation, etc. are that if somebody else gets “the virus,” it’s your fault. Children particularly are made to feel like radioactive waste, and to regard everybody else - especially all other children - as equal threats. They will indeed have a sense of diminished self-worth all of their lives. Especially for breaking out and doing normal kid things like laughing, jumping around - in other words, innocent fun and human expression. That won’t permitted in our future Marxist paradise.

That can't be good...

[null and void]

Ping...

[caww]

I’m not buying that.....suicide is not uncommon in Japanese culture when there isn’t covid.

[sushiman]

Definitely up , especially since August . Even 4 Japanese celebs have done it .

[DoodleBob]

There was an interesting article positing that "COVID kids" may become libertarian stating:

But it is also worth noting that children are witnessing repeated violations of their innate sense of fairness. This may well leave them with a sense of mistrust towards institutions and authorities. Is COVID-19 going to raise up a generation of libertarians?

That may not be a bad political result, but the damage to children IMHO isn't worth it.