Japan is having a spate of suicide incidents as the COVID-19 pandemic is having a second wave. Victims were women and children, which indicates more are killing themselves.
More suicides are happening in Japan as the coronavirus has taken its toll in the second wave of the pandemic. There is something more troubling, though, and it is uncanny.
The victim of these suicides is a surprise; women and children. Most of them died in the first wave when the government gave stipends to assist the Japanese in a hard time-reported in a survey according to the Japan Times.
From July to October, the rate of suicides is an alarming 16% less in 2019. A troubling development from February to June decrease of 14% in 2019. The number was determined by a study at the Hong Kong University and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. They determined it from data obtained from sources.
The study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour cited specific examples of why it was happening. During the coronavirus lockdowns, which is a particular case, no one is forced to stay indoors than in everyday circumstances.
No one saw it coming how pandemic affects the sanity of individuals. The virus's impact has effects on the mental health of children, adolescents, and females (mostly housewives).
In other words, the COVID-19 pandemic is unexpected, and men, women, children of different ages had to deal with the pandemic problems differently.
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What caused these adverse conditions?
One of the suspected causes of fewer suicides recorded is help from government subsidies, less working time, and schools shut to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said the study.
Yes, there was less suicide reported, but what boomeranged back is more ominous. More women are killing themselves with an uptick of 37%, five times the number of men committing suicide. The contagion shut down relevant industries where they excel, and these businesses suffered.
Occurrences that were disquieting is more pressure on working mothers, and they became victims of domestic violence. One thing not mentioned during the lockdown are women abused by their partners or spouses. Domestic abuse is not above board and is happening during the contagion all over the world.
From November 2016 to October 2019, data from a study conducted by the health ministry data had serious revelations. During the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, a rise of 49% of school kids committed suicide. These suicides were traced to happen after school was shut with enforced lockdowns.
This month, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga ordered a state of emergency that included Tokyo, with three prefectures. All done to a resurgence of the coronavirus, but seven more prefectures including Osaka and Kyoto.
One Japanese official, Taro Kono, administrative and regulatory reform minister, said that the government might extend the state emergency declaration. He added that it must not hamper the economy too. All over the world, lockdowns have all but killed economic activity, which is getting a re-think from some sectors.
Kono stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic brought people low when they saw no hope in the prolonged contagion. To lessen these suicides, a balance between controlling the virus and keeping the economy healthy is crucial.
