Suicide in Micronesia: The 1920s and 1930s

A comparative examination of suicide & mental illness in Micronesia, 1922-1939 vs 1960-early 1980s, based on annual reports of the South Seas Bureau, the agency of the Japanese government that had jurisdiction over the islands 1921-1945, & more recent Micronesian statistics. Japanese records reflect 241 suicides 1922-1939 (171 Japanese & 70 Micronesians) attributed mainly to melancholy or weariness with life. Hanging was the preferred method (84%) at that time, & has remained so (85% of suicides, 1960-1983). More males than females committed suicide in both periods, & the Truk district had the highest rate of suicide. The Japanese records indicate that 5 diagnostic categories of mental illness (imbecility, idiocy, melancholy, extreme irritability, & delusions) were prevalent among the Micronesians, but do not mention a possible causal relation between mental illness & suicide, among either the Micronesian or the Japanese populations. 12 Tables. Modified AA