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. 2022 Oct:316:114774.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114774. Epub 2022 Aug 7.

Suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan from April 2020 to December 2021

Miharu Nakanishi  1 , Syudo Yamasaki  2 , Kaori Endo  2 , Shuntaro Ando  3 , Mai Sakai  4 , Hatsumi Yoshii  4 , Atsushi Nishida  2
Affiliations

Suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan from April 2020 to December 2021

Miharu Nakanishi et al. Psychiatry Res. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

This study estimated the excess suicidal mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. A Poisson regression model was used to assess the association between unemployment rates, expenditure for alcohol, eating out, and suicide, from January 2008 to March 2020. The excess suicidal mortality was assessed by applying the identified model to data from April 2020 to December 2021. The number of estimated excess deaths during COVID-19 was 3397 in men and 2390 in women. COVID-19 may have caused unprecedented psychological distress among people, owing to restricted social gatherings and prolonged uncertainties.

Keywords: Alcohol; COVID-19; Japan; Suicide; Unemployment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest None.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Estimated and observed suicide incidence in Japan The estimated number and 95% projection interval (95%PI) are based on the Poisson regression analysis of suicides from January 2008 to March 2020. It also shows the observed suicides (lines) in the individual months by gender. The grey areas present periods when national emergency statement was issued, and restaurants and bars were requested to close early. The first national emergency statement was issued from April 7 to May 25, 2020. The second declaration of national emergency was issued from January 8 to March 21, 2021, followed by a third declaration from April 25 to June 20, and a fourth from July 12 to September 30.
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