New findings from The Lancet show that the number of suicides did not rise during the first few months of the pandemic. The study looked at 21 countries, including high- and middle-income countries, and observed the suicide rate compared to the expected numbers set before the pandemic started. Early data shows that self-reported rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation intensified during the first few months of the pandemic, but those numbers did not translate into an increase in suicides, the study found.
“Communities may have actively sought to support those at risk, people may have connected in new ways, and some relationships may have been strengthened as households spent more time together,” the study said. “For some people, daily stress may have diminished during periods of stay at home, and for others the collective feeling of ‘we are all in this together’ may have been beneficial.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Read it up The Lancet