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Lonely Hearts Department: why in developed countries young people kill themselves because of work and study
In recent years, young people in highly competitive, technologically advanced societies have been experiencing serious mental health problems. In South Korea, the United States, and European countries, scientists are observing an increase in anxiety and depression among young people, which can eventually lead to suicide. Japan is particularly affected by this problem. Read more about the gloomy trend in the Izvestia article.
A system problem
The number of suicides among elementary, middle and high school students in Japan exceeded the level of the previous year, becoming a record since the beginning of observations in 1980. This is reported by the Nikkei newspaper, citing data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Security of the country.
In 2025, Japanese school students committed 532 suicides, of which 15 were elementary school students, 163 were middle school students and 351 were high school students. Conflicts with friends, poor academic performance, worries about a future career, as well as health problems and difficulties in the family are cited as reasons.
At the same time, the total number of suicides in the country among people of all ages is also high. It exceeded 19 thousand people per year.
They are not lazy to work
The Japanese are considered a very hardworking nation, many of them literally live in workplaces.
However, such overexertion has a bad effect on health. Some often die, others commit suicide right in the office. Japanese media cite data according to which the overtime of Japanese people who decide to voluntarily pass away can exceed 100 hours per month. At the same time, according to doctors, the threshold after which the risk of death increases is considered to be 80 hours.
The term "karosi" has even appeared in the country — death from overwork — usually from strokes and heart attacks in the workplace, against the background of extreme fatigue and stress, but some of these cases are suicides. Official statistics record hundreds of such episodes; unofficially, the count goes to thousands.
Experts explain this by the practice of lifelong work in the same company. This trend appeared immediately after the Second World War. The country needed to rebuild its economy. The authorities have agreed with large corporations to provide lifetime jobs for employees in exchange for their loyalty. But global crises led to the fact that workers had to be reduced, and those who remained in their places had to work for two or three.
In Japan, a 12-hour working day is considered absolutely normal. Many stay longer because they are afraid of appearing ineffective and not moving up the career ladder, as well as considering it disrespectful to leave before their superiors.
Many are afraid to take sick days and vacations and even work at home on weekends. However, recycling is considered a voluntary initiative by employees and is usually unpaid.
—In Japan, employees are allowed 20 days off, and I once took two weeks to visit my family in Russia, so everyone looked at me like an enemy," Polina, a Russian woman who moved to Tokyo over 10 years ago, tells Izvestia.
According to her, Japanese people have been living under such stress since childhood. The workload in schools is off the charts. Good academic performance is very important in order to get a good job later, so even during the holidays, students sit with books in their arms, preparing for the next exams.
The cultural peculiarity also affects — the Japanese treat suicides differently, they are not considered a sin due to the fact that there is no history of Christianity in the country. The centuries-old tradition of "honorable suicides" also plays a role. Samurai, after defeat in battle, committed seppuku (or hara-kiri) as a punishment as a sign of loyalty to their ideals and desire to take responsibility.
The crisis of developed countries
Similar problems exist in other countries. According to Irina Badmaeva, a business psychologist, there is a systemic mental health crisis among young people in highly competitive societies.
— There is a paradoxical situation: in countries with developed economies and a high level of technological progress, with an increase in material well-being and the availability of information, young people begin to suffer from a deteriorating mental state, — the expert explained.
The expert notes that particularly alarming statistics on the increase in depression, anxiety disorders and suicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults are observed in South Korea, the United States, Britain, as well as the Nordic countries.
"In the United States, the level of depression among teenagers has increased by 60%, in South Korea, suicide is the main cause of death among young people, and every fourth young European experiences symptoms of depression and anxiety," the analyst said.
In these societies, success is measured by academic and professional achievements, and young people live in a system of constant assessment. As a result, they exist in a regime of incessant pressure. The paradox of the digital age also plays a role. On the one hand, young people have never been so technologically connected before, and on the other, they are so emotionally alone.
— In social networks, they face the fear of missing something, cyberbullying, and a distorted view of reality and success. The consequence of this is sleep disturbance and anxiety," says Badmaeva.
In her opinion, solving this problem requires rethinking the very foundations of how modern societies define success, well-being and human development.
The authorities in these countries are beginning to realize the scale of the tragedy and are striving to combat it. Students are informed about the opportunity to seek psychological support and help, consultations are being developed on social networks and the number of school psychologists is increasing, and company management is being urged to combat overwork.
Some employees with families have been given the opportunity to leave work earlier so that they can spend more time with their loved ones, and employees are also encouraged to take at least five days off every six months, and some are allowed to work remotely.
However, due to the heavy workload, few people use the breaks, and the problem remains acute.
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