With the new school year about to begin, it won't be long before students in Japan and the United States find themselves under the gun to excel academically. How they handle parental and peer pressure to do so can literally make the difference between life and death.

Although the Cabinet Office found that the threat of suicide among the young in Japan tends to peak shortly after the end of spring and summer holidays, the threat knows no season. That's because anxiety and depression, along with other mental disorders, persist throughout the year.

Concerns about university admissions and career choices help explain why some high school students in Japan take their own lives rather than live with shame in failing to meet expectations. But children between the ages of 10 and 15 are not immune. In fact, this group most often shows no overt signs of committing suicide, making them the most vulnerable to intervention.