The suicide rate in the United States fell nearly 6 percent last year, the largest decline in four decades, despite blockages, deaths and other hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to preliminary government data reviewed by The Associated Press.
Last year, fewer than 45,000 suicides were reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lowest number of suicides in the United States since 2015.
The wiring service notes that death certificates continue to enter, but officials expect the fall to last.
The number of suicides in the U.S. peaked in 2018, the highest rate since 1941, according to AP. The 2018 figure came after nearly two decades of a steadily rising suicide rate in the early 2000s.
In 2019 there was a slight drop in cases attributed to the increase in mental health tests along with other methods of suicide prevention.
The reason for the 2020 decline is unclear, but one expert told the PA that it could be attributed to a common phenomenon seen in the early stages of natural disasters and wars.
“There is a phase of heroism in all periods of disaster, in which we come together and express many messages of support because we are together,” said Christine Moutier, chief physician of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. . “You’ve seen it, at least during the first few months of the pandemic.”
Moutier said the decline could also be attributed to the availability of telehealth services.
However, Moutier said he would like to see the demographic breakdown of suicides once the CDC reports, saying it is possible that suicides did not fall among young people and young adults.
“We may see all the ramifications of this mental health pandemic,” at a later time, Moutier said at the exit.
The news comes just days after a study published by the Medical Journal of Lancet Psychiatry found that one in three COVID-19 survivors received diagnoses of psychological or neurological conditions six months after their infections.