3rd IACAPAP Regional Webinar

Strategies of Prevention for Suicide Reattempts in Youth

In Japan, the number of suicides among people under the age of 20 has been increasing since 2016 and remains high in recent years. In 2020, it exceeded 700 for the first time since 1998, reaching 800 in 2024. According to data from 2021, Japan has the second-highest suicide rate among young people in G7 countries. Furthermore, suicide has been the leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds since 2012 among both males and females. 

Attempted suicide is a major risk factor for completed suicide, so preventing reattempts among young people transported to emergency departments is important. As the characteristics of those who have committed suicide and those who have attempted suicide are thought to be similar, hearing directly from those who have attempted suicide and clarifying their clinical characteristics is an important starting point for supporting them. 

This presentation will review clinical studies of suicide attempters in Japan, clarify the clinical characteristics of young people who have attempted suicide in Japan and discuss risk and protective factors for suicide. While it is important to consider suicide prevention measures based on these risk and protective factors, the number of risk factors that can be mitigated is limited. This presentation will explore how strengthening protective factors against suicide among young people could be an important direction for suicide prevention strategies.