Suicide in Japan.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

In my job in Japan I dealt with this a lot, most weren't elderly. Most of them were unhappy housewives followed by teenagers who wanted to "get back at someone" (parents, boy or girlfriend, peers).
The difference is that there is no stigma attached to it there like here in the West. I think things will change as Japanese adopt more Western beliefs.

It seems 30% of suicides in Japan are by people over the age of 60. I think that has to so with illness and not forcing their families to care for them. I am sure the rate in the US for people over 60 is much lower.

[sarasi]

Originally Posted by hellosekai

Thank you for your response! And to answer your question I wanted to argue that the increase of suicide in Japan is a result of Westernization, commercialism and the materialism that is really at the root of globalization...I don't think my argument is completely in the wrong...I have a feeling I worded that last question a bit strangely. Sorry.

I have lived in Japan for 12 years and don't think your idea that suicide rates in Japan are high due to westernisation hold any water at all. As others have mentioned, unlike in the west, there is a tradition here of seeing suicide as an honourable way out, it didn't traditionally have the shameful stigma attached to it that it does in the west.

Commercialism and materialism, perhaps, but you would have to link them somehow to the more direct and obvious reasons here, the more common of which are stress and depression due to overwork, bullying and pressure to succeed at school, and debt problems. The last one is perhaps easiest to relate to commercialism etc, but I think you will that the others have their roots in Japanese culture rather than globalisation.

One thing that could be improved in Japan and that may have an effect on suicide rates is more support and understanding for people who are depressed or mentally ill- currently a lot of these problems are swept under the rug because people don't want to deal with them.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by MMM

It seems 30% of suicides in Japan are by people over the age of 60. I think that has to so with illness and not forcing their families to care for them. I am sure the rate in the US for people over 60 is much lower.

I have the NPA stats for suicides 1978 to,.2007? I don't think there are any newer details released, but there were over 12k suicides of individuals aged over 60 in 2007, just under double the next highest bracket, 50-59 (7000) and a mere 548 teenagers. Actually, there hasn't been a year since 1978 where more teenagers have committed suicide than 60+ people. Not sure about attempts though- maybe young people think about it more, or make more attempts, but with a lower 'sucess' rate.

Also teenagers tend to be the 'noisy' demographic for most things, which might explain why Bellyvis sees things otherwise.

And Like I said before, economic difficulties, pressure to suceed, etc etc are world-wide phenomena, yet the suicide rate of many countries has remained much more stable. Whatever it is driving the suicide rate in Japan, i think it is founded wholly in Japanese culture.

And so is the mental health service. Some well-known practices originated from Buddhist beliefs and are totally reverse to anything practiced in the west.

I think the OP's argument simplifies the situation far too much. Don't forget, suicide is somewhat 'contagious'. Stressed or depressed people are vulnerable, and the thought that many people commit suicide can lead them towards thoughts of it in the context of their own lives. Like knife crime; you hear a lot of people carry knives, get scared, start carrying a knife, and even if the fact was initially false, it starts to become true.

Actually if anything, I'd say the reverse of your argument. Japanese suicide culture is generally exported to the west, not imported.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Also teenagers tend to be the 'noisy' demographic for most things, which might explain why Bellyvis sees things otherwise.

My guess is more that elderly committing suicide aren`t presented as "suicide" if there is any way for them not to be. It`s easy to explain away the death of someone 60+, but not for a younger person. I can`t imagine any family outright admitting it was suicide, even to someone involved in the funeral process, unless they had no other choice.

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

My guess is more that elderly committing suicide aren`t presented as "suicide" if there is any way for them not to be. It`s easy to explain away the death of someone 60+, but not for a younger person. I can`t imagine any family outright admitting it was suicide, even to someone involved in the funeral process, unless they had no other choice.

Most suicides I saw were obvious, hanging, charcoal, jumping off building or in front of a train. Older people were more difficult to tell, and toxicology reports take weeks. As Nyoroin says, no family admitted to it unless it was unavoidable.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

Most suicides I saw were obvious, hanging, charcoal, jumping off building or in front of a train. Older people were more difficult to tell, and toxicology reports take weeks. As Nyoroin says, no family admitted to it unless it was unavoidable.

Charcoal? Asides from the alarming 'BBQing oneself' route, how does a person kill themselves with charcoal?

[Aniki]

He's probably referring to burning charcoal in a closed space.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Aniki

He's probably referring to burning charcoal in a closed space.

Ah, I see, it would deplete the oxygen. That makes more sense.

[sarasi]

Rather than just depleting the oxygen in the room, burning charcoal creates carbon monoxide, which replaces the oxygen in your blood and causes death. People sometimes die accidentally when they sleep in rooms with heaters which produce carbon monoxide.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by sarasi

Rather than just depleting the oxygen in the room, burning charcoal creates carbon monoxide, which replaces the oxygen in your blood and causes death. People sometimes die accidentally when they sleep in rooms with heaters which produce carbon monoxide.

Good point. I know all about the affects of carbon monoxide, but I wasn't aware that burning charcoal produced CO. Most monoxide deaths I've ever heard of were (as you said) accidents via faulty heaters, or suicide by running a car in an enclosed space/ piping the exhaust into the car interior.