Influence on the suicide rate two years after a devastating disaster: a report from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

AIMS: The relationship between suicide and disaster is an important problem but it's not clear. We conducted this study to determine whether a natural disaster affects suicide rates. METHODS: We collected data on suicides during the 84 months before and the 60 months after the earthquake and compared the suicide rate in Kobe to that in Japan as a whole. We also examined what groups were significantly affected. RESULTS: Compared with Japan as a whole, the suicide rates in Kobe significantly decreased in the 2 years after the earthquake. CONCLUSIONS: An influence on suicide rate after the disaster clearly appeared in middle-aged men.