[Assignment of psychiatry in the Japanese suicide countermeasures]

In Japan, national suicide countermeasures have been promoted since enactment of the "Basic Act on Suicide Countermeasures" in 2006, and the "Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Initiative" in 2007. The key element of the Japanese countermeasures is expressed by the word "comprehensive," which indicates that suicide prevention should not only be implemented through mental health approaches, but should also be addressed via other measures, including changes in administrative practices. This is an appropriate policy, although the mental health measures appear to be too simplistic, inclining toward psychiatric treatment using pharmacotherapy for the classic type of "depression." This paper presents the findings of a psychological autopsy study which was recently conducted in Japan, and stipulates that mental health measures, including psychiatric treatments, need to be made more comprehensive.