New findings from The Lancet show that suicide rates did not increase during the first months of the pandemic. The study looked at 21 countries, including high- and middle-income countries, and looked at the number of suicides compared to the projected numbers that were formulated before the pandemic began. Early data show that self-reported rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thinking intensified during the first months of the pandemic, but those figures did not translate into an increase in suicides, according to the study.
“Communities could have actively tried to support people at risk, people could have connected in new ways and some relationships could have been strengthened by families spending more time with each other,” the study said. “For some people, daily stress could have been reduced during periods of stay at home, and for others, the collective feeling of ‘we’re all together’ could have been beneficial.”
If you or a loved one has suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the crisis text line by texting TALK at 741741
Read it on The Lancet