Suicide rates among young women in Japan and South Korea are increasing dramatically, many of whom believe the situation is related to Covid-19.

The total number of suicides in Japan in October was 2,153, the highest monthly number in more than five years.

From July to October, at least 2,810 Japanese women committed suicide, 41% higher than the same period last year.

South Korea has a higher suicide rate than Japan, with deaths from suicide peaking at nearly 16,000 in 2011. The number of suicides this year has generally decreased, but the number of women over the age of 20

Japan and South Korea are two of the few countries that publish up-to-date data on the number of suicides.

There are currently no global studies to help answer the question of whether the pandemic will cause the number of suicides to increase or how it may affect different age groups and genders.

Research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one in 10 respondents had thought of committing suicide last month, double the rate recorded in 2018. 1

In the UK, a study published in October by the British Journal of Psychiatry found that suicidal thoughts increased during the six weeks of the anti-Covid-19 blockade.

In Japan, young people and young women have recently contacted suicide prevention hotlines and called for help on Twitter and a series of other online forums.

Yuki Nishimura from the Japan Mental Health Association says the chances of a caller getting connected to their hotline are only about 40%, although they've increased their counselors.

Jiro Ito, head of the OVA, a non-profit that specializes in preventing suicides, says people who call their helpline often have in common feeling lonely.

"During a pandemic, we have fewer opportunities to socialize and converse with people around us," he said.

According to Michiko Ueda, professor of Waseda University, Japan, specializing in research on suicide and suicide prevention, the cause of the number of suicides among women increasing this year is not clear, but economic factors

"The tourism, retail, food and restaurant industries are particularly heavily affected by Covid-19," she said, adding that these industries tend to employ women, mainly in positions.

Japan did not prevent Covid-19 from spreading by completely shutting it down like many other parts of the world, but relied mainly on encouraging people to wear masks, wash their hands and avoid crowds.

However, schools across the country are still shut down from March to May. On the other hand, most people have to work remotely during the period when Japan declared a state of emergency in April and May.

Although the streets and subways in Japan are back crowded again, life is far from normal.

But there is a paradox that the number of suicides fell dramatically while Japan imposed a national emergency.

When summer comes and people go back to their "new normal" life, stress begins to return.

Bond Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young women, in June conducted a poll of more than 1,000 people have been helped in the past.

"A lot of people came to us and told them they had nowhere to go when asked to stay at home," said Jun Tachibana from the Bond Project.

In South Korea, the death rate in the capital Seoul increased by 4.8% in the first half of 2020.

According to Joo Ji-young, deputy director of the Seoul Center for Suicide Prevention, "one inevitable side effect of community disparity is that it widens the 'psychological gap' between people."

Center director Paik Jong-woo emphasized that the lack of connection between people is a threat to mental health in general, but women "are often burdened by their work conditions.