Internet suicide? Misleading Reporting?

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060316p2a00m0na001000c.html


"Four people suspected of committing group suicide were found dead inside a parked car Wednesday in Japan, bringing to 13 the number of people believed to have taken their lives together in the past week, police and news reports said.

The bodies of three men and one woman, all believed to be in their 30s, were found in a car parked on a mountain road in Shizuoka, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Police suspected suicide, the official said, without elaborating.

Authorities said they suspected the four died from fumes as several charcoal burners were found inside the car, which had its windows sealed with tape, according to Kyodo News agency.

Their deaths were the latest in a recent spate of group suicides in Japan set up between strangers over the Internet -- though it wasn't immediately clear how the latest group of victims met.

The bodies of nine people were discovered in two separate cases of group suicide last week. In one case, three people died after inhaling charcoal fumes in a car.

A record 91 people died in 34 Internet-linked suicide cases last year, up from 55 people in 19 cases in 2004, the National Police Agency reported last month. The number of Internet suicide pacts has almost tripled from 2003, when the agency started keeping records.

Suicide pacts have been made over the Internet since at least the late 1990s, and have been reported everywhere from Guam to the Netherlands.

But especially large numbers have occurred in Japan, where suicide rates are among the world's highest.

Often designed with an ominous, pitch-black background, the Internet sites host chat rooms spilling over with death wishes and ideas on how best to take your own life.

They appear to be frequented largely by young people, some still in their early teens, who are troubled by bullying, romantic breakups, abusive relatives or a disconnect with family.

Politicians have suggested that suicide sites be regulated or shut down. In October last year, police launched a crackdown with the cooperation of Internet service providers.

Since then, authorities acting on tips intervened in 12 cases, preventing 14 people from killing themselves, national police said last month...

... Internet-related suicides still represent a small percentage of suicides in Japan. More than 32,000 Japanese took their own lives in 2004, the bulk of them older Japanese suffering from sickness or financial woes... (AP)"

March 16, 2006

Internet suicide or inaccurate or misleading reporting? Read this carefully and it seems that "Police and news reports said"....""Four people suspected of committing group suicide were found dead inside a parked car Wednesday in Japan" seems to be the case that "Police" and unspecified "news reports" have stated that a group of four people have committed suicided together. However the part of the first paragraph that claims this brings "...to 13 the number of people believed to have taken their lives together in the past week" appears to be nothing more than an unsubstantiated belief lacking in both quoted sources or official comment. It is not stated who believes this. A lot of reports on Internet suicide are based on 'beliefs' like this. Anyway, read carefully for yourself and, based on the content of the article, you decide if this group suicide is in fact an "internet suicide pact" or simply yet another example of misleading reporting on a very serious subject? - Timi

Internet Suicide BBC Report

Japan 'suicide pacts' claim nine

"Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and internet pacts are thought to appeal to those who are scared to die alone...

...The number of Japanese committing suicide has been rising steadily in recent years - more than 34,000 Japanese took their own lives in 2003, according to the National Police Agency.

The number of people killing themselves in suicide pacts made over the internet - while still small - has been rising sharply.

Police said last month that 91 people had died in the pacts in 2005, compared with 55 in 2004 and 34 in 2003, when the records started.

Alarm at the rise has led to increased vigilance by internet service providers, who now report suspected suicide pacts to the authorities."

BBC News - Asia Pacific - "Japan 'suicide pacts' claim nine"

Domestic Violence Cases Rise 17.2%

Japan reports record 16,888 domestic violence cases last year

Domestic violence cases in Japan jumped 17.2 percent in 2005 to a record 16,888 incidents, with nearly all of the victims being women, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The figure was up from the previous record of 14,140 cases set in 2004, the agency said in an annual report.

Women accounted for 97.6 percent of the victims of domestic violence in 2005, the agency said.

A total of 87 murder and attempted murder cases were filed during the year, compared with a total of 75 in 2004, the agency said.

Japan implemented the nation's first law against domestic violence in October 2001, giving courts the power to impose restraining orders on offenders and requiring local governments to provide services to victims.

Under the law, courts can impose six-month restraining orders on perpetrators and force them to stay away from victims' homes for two weeks. Failure to comply results in up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 1 million yen ($8,474). (AP)
Mainichi News, March 9, 2006

Suicide and Depression

Building a suicide safety net

"Every year, slightly more than 30,000 people kill themselves in Japan. Compared with other countries, the situation is particularly grim. The nation's suicide rate, calculated in terms of the number of suicides per 100,000 people, stands at 25.3 -- compared with 38.7 in Russia, 17.5 in France, 13.5 in Germany, 11.7 in Canada, 10.4 in the United States, 7.5 in Britain and 7.1 in Italy. Japan's figure is the 10th highest in the world and the worst among developed countries.
Last year, the government established a joint committee comprising officials from government ministries and agencies concerned to work out "comprehensive measures" to combat the problem. This rather belated move is welcome. The government now regards suicide as something society as a whole must deal with, rather than an individual problem only.

The year 1998 was a turning point in Japan's suicide toll. Through 1997, the number of suicides was slightly less than 25,000 annually. The number jumped from 24,391 in 1997 to 32,863 in 1998. Since then, the number has hovered around that level. The number of suicides by males greatly increased -- from 16,416 in 1997 to 23,013 in 1998. The number of suicides by females rose from 7,975 to 9,850 in the same period. In 2004, Japan recorded 32,325 suicides -- 23,272 by males and 9,053 by females. It is said that for every suicide, there are about 10 attempted suicides.
Suicide is the No. 1 cause of death among males in their 20s and 30s. The suicide rate is especially high among males over the age of 40. According to the National Police Agency's statistics, health problems were responsible for 14,786 suicides and financial problems triggered another 7,947 suicides in 2004. Family problems were behind about 3,000 suicides and work-related problems caused about 2,000 suicides.

Statistics alone do not paint a full picture of the problem. Additional factors behind suicides include overwork and unemployment due to the prolonged economic slump, the aging of the population and health problems, including mental diseases. The joint committee will analyze details related to the suicide problem from both medical and social angles as well as push for the implementation of many kinds of measures to help prevent suicides.

The committee aims to reduce the number of suicides to about 25,000 a year from the current level in 10 years. An encouraging sign for the committee's efforts is the fact that Finland, which saw its suicide rate climb from 15.5 in 1950 to 30.3 in 1990, succeeded in reducing the suicide rate by 20 percent in six years and 30 percent in 12 years (from 1990) through its National Suicide Prevention Project, which began in 1986..."

"A study group of the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry has found that about 70 percent of those who committed or attempted suicide had not talked with anyone about their problems beforehand. The joint committee can get a cue from the experience in Akita Prefecture. A list of contact numbers for counseling on a wide range of matters including not only medical and mental-health services but also bankruptcy, domestic violence and nursing care of aged people was distributed to every household in the municipalities concerned.

Another study shows that three-quarters of people who contemplate suicide have mental disorders and that about a half of these people are suffering from depression. But three-quarters of those experiencing depression are not receiving medical treatment. Efforts should be made to strengthen cooperation among volunteers, medical experts and municipal workers in improving and expanding counseling networks at workplaces, schools and community facilities -- the main pillar of the joint committee's measures. Helping people suffering from depression, including intervention when necessary, should become an important part of the services.

Volunteer organizations giving advice to suicidal people or helping bereaved families of suicide victims should receive public financial support. If local governments set a numerical target for reducing suicides from area to area, their efforts would become more credible."


The Japan Times, Feb. 25, 2006

An interesting report in that it highlights the fact that, whatever the officially stated reason for suicide in Japan, "three-quarters of people who contemplate suicide have mental disorders and that about a half of these people are suffering from depression. But three-quarters of those experiencing depression are not receiving medical treatment." Depession unrecognissed and untreated can very often lead people to become suicidal, whatever their circumstances. Further and greater efforts to both provide deeper public understanding about depression and also encourage people to seek medical treatment and professional mental health counseling, will be necessary if any significant reduction in the unnessaryily high suicide rate in Japan. - Timi

Pachinko Addicts

Pachinko addicts to get counseling net

Japan's nationwide pachinko industry organization is poised to set up a consultation network for pachinko addicts, officials said.

The association known as Zennichi Yuren will set up the "Recovery Support Network" in April to help those who cannot quit playing pachinko and the families of addicts. This is the first time that the industry has launched a project to support pachinko addicts.

The move comes as a growing number of young children are dying in cars where their parents leave them to play pachinko.

Psychiatrist Naoyuki Nishimura, who is active in treating drug addicts, will head the network that will comprise lawyers who are providing counseling for alcoholics and drug addicts as well as counselors.
Zennichi Yuren is expected to provide 100 million yen to support the network's activities over the next five years.

In a survey conducted recently by the industry association, about 30 percent of customers at pachinko parlors said they are afraid that they are addicts.
Some of these addicts are heavily indebted while others even abuse their family members, industry sources said.

Mainichi News, February 24, 2006