Hairdressers recruited to tackle Japan's soaring suicide rates

Hairdressers recruited to tackle Japan's soaring suicide rates

Hairdressers have been recruited in a Japanese city to help tackle soaring suicide rates.

By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
Published: 5:59PM GMT 31 Oct 2010

The hairdressers are being given guidebooks to hand out to customers who they believe may be suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts Photo: CORBIS

Officials in Toyama, a city 186 miles northwest of Tokyo, have launched the nation’s first scheme in which hairdressers are used as mediators between suicidal customers and professional counsellors. The move taps into the renowned universal skill of hairdressers to lend a sympathetic ear to customers who often feel comfortable confiding in them about their problems.

More than 650 hairdressers in the city are involved in the new project, which involves taking part in training lectures with clinical psychologists to help them identify those in need of specialist help. The hairdressers are also being given guidebooks to hand out to customers who they believe may be suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts and are able to put them in touch with professional psychological counselors.

A Toyama government spokesperson said: “Psychological counsellors then came up with the idea of using hairdressers as a liaison to reach people. Customers often form a relaxing relationship with the hairdresser and converse about a variety of topics. “With this in mind, we chose to get the co-operation of hairdressers to help with suicide prevention.”

As part of the new scheme, hairdressers will be taking part in training sessions organised by city officials with professional psychologists focusing on problems relating to suicide. Japan is home to one of the highest suicide rates among industrialised nations, with more than 30,000 people killing themselves every year. Last year 102 people committed suicide in Toyama, reflecting a rate of 24.2 per 100,000 — more than double the suicide rate in Britain, according to World Health Organisation figures.

“Since the fall of the Lehman Brothers in 2008, suicide has become an even more serious problem,” added the Toyama government spokesman. “The decline of the economy all across Japan has sparked an increase in activities to prevent suicide, along with Toyama’s efforts.” Hairdressers across the city appeared to welcome the initiative, with a growing number of premises displaying government-provided stickers in their window to show they are taking part in the project.