Underlying factors for the rapid increase of suicide in Mie Prefecture, Japan

The number of suicides in Japan increased from about 22,000 per year during the period 1988 to 1997 to over 30,000 since 1998. The number of suicides has also been increasing in Mie Prefecture. In the present study we examined the incidence and the circumstances for all suicidal cases during the seven-year period, 1996-2002, that were reported to Mie Prefectural Police Headquarters. In Mie Prefecture, the number of suicides per year averaged 421 cases: from a minimum of 319 in 1997 to a maximum of 501 in 1998. The most frequent month for suicides was July, while the lowest number occurred in February. Suicide was most common in the 50-59 year age group in men, and in the 70-79 year group in women. Regarding the means of suicide, hanging was the most frequent (61.6%) in both sexes. Psychiatric disorders were the most serious causative factors in all generations, accounting for 23.8% in general but being especially prevalent in the younger generation of people under 39 years. Further reasons for suicide were economic problems for the 40-64 age-group in men and suffering from illness for the elderly age-groups in both sexes. In order to prevent suicide, urgent strategies for effective medical treatments and improved working circumstances are required.