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Have suicides increased during the pandemic? Let's take a look:
Firstly, I want to say that suicide is a huge concern, and should be taken seriously. Yesterday's paper on increasing mental health events post-COVID19 recovery should make us all pause.
Firstly, I want to say that suicide is a huge concern, and should be taken seriously. Yesterday's paper on increasing mental health events post-COVID19 recovery should make us all pause.
However, this commonly accepted adage that "suicides have increased 200%" is being cited as evidence that businesses need to open and lockdowns are dangerous.
Let's see if it is true based on the published literature.
Let's see if it is true based on the published literature.
This study out of Norway found that rates of suicide didn't increase during 1st 3 months of pandemic (b/w March - May 2020.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33111325/
This study out of NZ - a self-assessment/survey - measured psychological stresses of the lockdown and remarked that self-reported surveys suggest that they are real.
But suicide? There's no report of actual suicide, but limited change in suicide ideation https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0241658
But suicide? There's no report of actual suicide, but limited change in suicide ideation https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0241658
This analysis out of NYC suggests that patients were "...were less likely to present with suicide attempts..." while also highlighting that we should be wary of a potential mental health crisis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33158555/
This paper looks at suicidal ideation (not suicides) in Australia as a single Q on self-reported surveys. They report 14% (!!) of participants experienced ideation, w/o clarifying if that's different than baseline.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.50831
Is it different?
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.50831
Is it different?
All I could find is this old 2009 DOH page from Australia that suggests 13.3% of Australians experience some sort of suicidal ideation during their lifetimes. Not that different from the 14.6% in the previous paper.
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-toc~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8-1
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-toc~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8-1
This self-reported survey out of UK conducted b/w March - May suggests levels of ideation changing during the pandemic. But, does not indicate whether they are radically different than during before the pandemic.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F7321CBF45C749C788256CFE6964B00C/S0007125020002123a.pdf/mental_health_and_wellbeing_during_the_covid19_pandemic_longitudinal_analyses_of_adults_in_the_uk_covid19_mental_health_wellbeing_study.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F7321CBF45C749C788256CFE6964B00C/S0007125020002123a.pdf/mental_health_and_wellbeing_during_the_covid19_pandemic_longitudinal_analyses_of_adults_in_the_uk_covid19_mental_health_wellbeing_study.pdf
In Bangladesh, suicideal ideation was reported at 5% during the pandemic about the same as before the pandemic.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26250141/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-21121-003
(Caveat here: Both populations are not the same, and therefore the comparison is poor at best).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26250141/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-21121-003
(Caveat here: Both populations are not the same, and therefore the comparison is poor at best).
This review suggests that suicidal ideation may increase during the pandemic - based on historical data - but does not suggest that is currently happening.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7313777/pdf/hcaa202.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7313777/pdf/hcaa202.pdf
This troubling study out of Nepal suggests that average monthly suicides increased in the country after the pandemic. But that increase was nowhere close to 200%. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764020963150?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
So, there seems little evidence to backup the claim that suicides increased.
To reiterate, we need to remain wary of potential future increases. This is important.
But, we cannot allow misinformation to go unchecked and for folks to co-op it for their own political reasons.
To reiterate, we need to remain wary of potential future increases. This is important.
But, we cannot allow misinformation to go unchecked and for folks to co-op it for their own political reasons.
