In 20 Years, Akita Prefecture Reduces Suicides by a Third! Empowering 1% of Population with Specialized Knowledge

Japan is said to have one of the highest suicide rates among developed countries.

How did Akita Prefecture, which once had the worst suicide rate in Japan for 19 consecutive years, reduce its suicide rate and escape from the worst situation? The following is a report on Akita Prefecture’s suicide prevention measures, now called the ” Akita Model,” based on the book “The Elderly Who Have No Relatives” (Kota Ishii, Ushio Publishing Co., Ltd.), which describes the loneliness of the elderly today.

In the 2000s, the number of suicides increased nationwide in Japan amid the recession caused by the bursting of the bubble economy. Akita Prefecture was no exception, and officials and lawmakers were wondering if they could somehow reduce the suicide rate.

However, government officials were not suicide experts and were completely lacking in manpower. At this time, the prefecture chose Hisao Sato, the founder of the non-profit organization “Spider’s Thread,” as its partner in suicide prevention, based on research conducted by Naofumi Yoshioka of Akita University, whom we saw in the <Part 1> section. The university offered its expertise, and with the prefecture’s backing, the private sector was to make use of it.

The Basic Law on Suicide Prevention enacted in 2006 provided a tailwind for the prefecture’s efforts. With the number of suicides in Japan surpassing 30,000, the national government decided to create a new law to comprehensively support awareness-raising activities, the development of a medical system, support for the private sector, and mental health care for bereaved families.

Three trends targeted by Akita Prefecture

Noriki Terada, the governor of Akita Prefecture at the time, took this law and stepped on the accelerator for suicide prevention in the prefecture in one fell swoop. At the urging of the Akita prefectural government, a seminar was held for top officials from each municipality, bringing together representatives of private organizations from the chiefs of municipalities and urging them to work together as one.

Thus was born the “Akita Model. The three arrows of the private sector, the university, and the local government were united and set in motion.

Specifically, Akita University analyzes the current status of each municipality through a regional diagnosis. Based on the data, the local government will launch preventive measures, such as “round-the-clock consultations,” “lectures,” “exchange events,” and “creating a sense of purpose in life. Finally, private organizations will implement specific activities with support from the government.

The following steps will be taken to achieve the following goals

1. Raise awareness of suicide prevention

2. Activation of residents’ activities

3, Phenomenon of suicides

At the same time, the prefecture and the university will raise awareness of suicide prevention throughout the medical industry. Until then, psychiatry had been the basic response to suicide. The idea of stove-piping was removed, and the entire medical community was made aware of the need for prevention and to work together in a cooperative system.

This series of moves took the form of the “Akita Prefectural Citizens’ Movement” based on the organization built by Mr. Sato. Under the banner of suicide prevention, this movement brings together 107 NPOs and other organizations, 25 municipalities, and several companies in the prefecture.

Soon after, the results of the Akita model emerged. The number of suicides in the prefecture peaked at 519 in 2003, but after 2007, the number has been steadily declining, and by 2009, the number had dropped to 177. The suicide rate, which ranked first, has dropped to 10th.

An official with the Health and Disease Control Division of the prefectural government’s Health and Welfare Department said, “One of the strengths of the Akita model is that it has helped to reduce the number of suicides in the prefecture.

One of the strengths of the Akita model is that the prefecture not only supports private organizations, but also actively holds training courses for those involved in suicide prevention. We are not only training specialists, but also support persons who have knowledge and can link them to specialists.

In the Akita Model, suicide specialists are called “mental health supporters” and supporters are called “gatekeepers.

The training course for mental health supporters aims to provide a high level of expertise to those who are already involved in suicide prevention activities. Doctors and clinical psychologists are invited as lecturers to teach the process leading up to suicide, how to listen to counselors, and how to improve mental health.

The gatekeeper training course teaches how to identify people who are contemplating suicide and connect them with mental health supporters and medical care. In other words, they are asked to serve as a bridge to specialists.

Involving the younger generation: ……

One of the staff members said the following.

The number of participants in the gatekeeper training course was 7,921 at the end of fiscal year 2009, and the number of gatekeepers has almost reached the 10,000 mark. Akita Prefecture has a population of approximately 930,000, so 1% of the population has expertise in suicide prevention and is involved in some form of activity. The prefecture’s suicide prevention efforts are based on their presence.”

The prefecture hopes that young students will also have expertise and take on the role of mental health supporters and gatekeepers in the future. suicide is the number one cause of death among people in their teens to 30s. In light of this, it would be possible to further reduce the suicide rate by involving the younger generation.

In addition, Akita University established the Center for Suicide Prevention Research in 2009 as a specialized institution for suicide prevention. The center aims to promote research, evaluation, and awareness-raising activities related to suicide.

Currently, the center is working on the following four areas.

Support for the elderly through SNS

Mental health survey for workers

Education for junior high and high school students on how to raise SOS

Research and projects such as mental health supporter follow-up training sessions

Of particular interest is the first section, “Support for the Elderly Utilizing SNS. Here, tablet terminals are lent to elderly people with high suicide rates, and Akita University students are paid part-time to interact with them through SNS.

Suicide among the elderly is often caused by social isolation and increased health concerns. The idea is to help prevent suicide by having students connect with the elderly as if they were part-timers, and provide them with a reason to live and a place to look after themselves.

The deputy director of the center said the following in an interview for my book.

The prefectural government and the private sector have a lot of hurdles to overcome if they are to work alone on suicide prevention. Since it is a life-threatening job, there is always the worry of what if they fail or what they are doing wrong. But when a university is added to the mix, there is a sense of security in knowing that experts have your back. We gain confidence that we have learned expertise and are implementing it, which makes it easier for us to do various things. This is the reason why the “academic” part of the civil, academic, and government sectors is so important.

For more details of the Akita Model, please read “Mukonenrei” (The Unrelated Old Man).

At any rate, the Akita Model is an effort to foster opportunities and the ability for people to connect with each other throughout society. Similar efforts can be made in one city or one region, not in the whole prefecture. And it would not be a dream to significantly reduce the number of suicides by doing so.