Schools take action against rising pandemic-linked student suicides

Aug 25, 2021 | News On Japan

Aug 25, 2021 (Japan Times) - Schools across Japan are stepping up measures against student suicides that have been on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, holding sessions about mental health and using technology to help students report their moods.

Japan logged a record-high 499 student suicides last year amid the pandemic, with many believed to have felt lonely during school closures that lasted for months to prevent the virus from spreading. The figure for the first half of 2021 was higher than a year ago, government data showed.

At a mental health educational session organized by a junior high school in Wakayama Prefecture in March, a school counselor explained to around 140 students how to spot signs they may be developing mental health conditions.

Osaka’s education board introduced in April a software application titled “weather of the heart” to check students’ mental health. The app is loaded onto tablet computers used by all children at elementary and junior high schools run by the city.

In the morning assembly, students can choose one option out of “sunny,” “cloudy,” “rain” and “thunder” to indicate how they feel that day. The results are automatically sent to teachers’ devices, informing them about changes in the mood of students who picked a different option from before.

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