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This article is an excerpt and edit of the content from the "When You Feel Anxious About School or Nursery Life: Parental Mindset and Response" lecture and consultation held in 2018.
*Available in English and Chinese versions
After the break, children take their own lives.
According to data from the Cabinet Office for 2015, the highest number of child suicides over the past 42 years occurs right after summer vacation. A significant number of children take their lives on the morning of the first day of school or the day before.
The next most common time is the new school term in April, around April 6-8, and after the Golden Week. Then, there is the period after the New Year holidays.
These children struggle to go to school, often feeling reluctant and having disrupted daily routines. However, they are encouraged by their parents and teachers to keep attending without breaks. Eventually, when the long-awaited break ends and the pressure mounts, some tragically take their own lives.
This has been clearly shown in statistics over the past 40 years.
It is often said that when a child takes their own life, it is a family issue, but what about the time they spend in the family?
From around July 20th until after Obon, I'll be at home. That time of year is definitely quieter.
During holidays, children can feel secure. Additionally, the suicide rate significantly decreases until after the New Year in December.
So, as long as the child is at home, they won't have to die.
Children who can rest do not have to take their own lives.
During September, children often experience a gradual return to school, meaning they attend intermittently while taking breaks. This pattern typically continues from the first semester, and by the second semester, many begin to take significant time off, leading to a state of school refusal.
The peak of suicides coincides with the time when children start their breaks. Among the children who couldn't take a break, those who face severe bullying at school, harsh corporal punishment from teachers, and feel they can no longer go on, are often pushed out by their parents who tell them to go. This leads to situations where these children feel they have no choice but to end their lives. This has been clearly shown in data from the past 40 years.
Since the number of children refusing to attend school has been increasing since 1990, the data illustrates how difficult school has become for children.
The struggles and hardships of each child can only be seen by their parents.
However, I hope you can understand that this is the situation when you take a broader perspective.
Counselor:
Ryouko Uchida
Since 1973, I have been providing consultation services at several public health centers in Tokyo. Since 1998, I have been running the "Children's Consultation Room: Momo's Room," where I hold group counseling sessions for issues such as school refusal, delinquency, and social withdrawal. I have also served as a part-time lecturer at Rikkyo University and as an advisor for NHK Radio's telephone consultation program, "Children's Heart Consultation." I have given numerous lectures at parenting circles across the country, as well as at meetings for parents considering school refusal and at kindergartens. My published works include 'Counselor Ryoko's Parenting Mysteries,' 'Q&A on Young Children's Lives and Hearts,' and 'Reluctance to Attend School.'