The MTS act and suicide (4)

The MTS act and suicide (1)
The MTS act and suicide (2)
The MTS act and suicide (3)

The question is the suicide rate of the patients with mental disorders. I wrote that it is about 1% in a year in Japan. But it may be too much, even if Japan is a suicide rich country.

In my opinion, the hypothesis that about 90 % of the people who have committed suicide have some mental disorders is correct. However, it is doubtful that all of them were identified as mentally disordered while alive.
The result of the Patients Survey, that estimates the number of the patients with mental disorder, is deduced from the statistics of the hospitals. However, a Part of the people committed suicide cannot have visited the hospital. They are not added into the patients with mental disorders. Furthermore, it is easily imaginable that some people with mental disorders are not willing to visit the hospital. They are also not included in the statistics.

How many people with mental disorders in Japan?
It is not a simple question.

There is another statistic. The OECD health data suggest that about 10 million people have some mental disorders in Japan. It is about three times of the data of the Patients Survey!
Based on these statistics, the suicide rate is calculated at 0.3 % (29,024 / 10,000,000) in a year.

To be honest, I am doubtful of this data too, because it also suggests that one-fourth of Americans has mental disorders. It is far from reliable. I guess the definition of mental disorders in this survey is too wide in this statistic.

Are you confused?
Precise statistics are hardly established in this region. To begin with, the definition of mental disorders is vague.

There is another approach.
Some researchers have shown the data of suicide rate of the patients with a particular mental disorder.
The lifetime suicide rate of the patients with schizophrenia is 4 to 10 %, which with mood disorders is 6 -15 %, according to WHO.

Compared to them, the suicide rate among the MTS act, 1.5 %, is adequately small, at least at present.

In conclusion, I do not think that the scheme of the MTS act causes the suicide of the offender with mental disorders, even if further observation should be continued.