COVID-19 and suicide: Evidence from Japan

Abstract

Early projections painted a bleak picture of a suicide epidemic following the emergence of the COVID-19. This stemmed from widespread concerns that an unintended consequence of the health mandates designed to limit COVID-19 infections was deteriorating mental health and that this could lead to increases in suicides. This was amplified by poor media reporting1 and by early studies forecasting high suicide rates as a consequence of changing health and economic conditions. Yet the evidence to date suggests rising suicide rates have not occurred in most countries.