Suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

Tanaka, T.; Okamoto, S.

Background The crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life. Fear and anxiety about the infections, social isolation derived from the virus-containment measures, and the resulting economic disruption could deteriorate psychological health and exacerbate the suicidal risk. However, evidence linking the COVID-19 pandemic to suicide is limited. Methods We use suicide records from July 2016 to June 2020 covering the entire Japanese population (126 million) in 1,861 administrative units. We used difference-in-differences estimation to assess if the suicide rate changed during the pandemic, comparing suicide rates between 2016-2019 (control group) and 2020 (treatment group). Findings We found that the overall suicide rate declined by 13.5% after the outbreak and subsequent measures (i.e., school closure and the state of emergency). While it is evident that suicide rate dropped across all gender and age groups, the decline is more substantial among males (-11.9%) than females (-6.7%) and among those aged 20-69 years (-12.6%) than those aged below 20 years (-1.6%) and those aged over 70 years (-4.8%). Interpretation The government's generous subsidies and benefits for both households and enterprises and reduced distress from overwork potentially account for the sizable decline in the suicide rate, particularly among male adults. A smaller drop in the suicide rate among the elderly and females suggests that they might be more vulnerable to this pandemic. Fewer school sessions among students might have reduced suicide among children and adolescents.