Thread by @andrewtshaffer, Well-meaning but factually incorrect copy and paste meme going around Twitter today. [...]

Andrew Shaffer

andrewtshaffer

Well-meaning but factually incorrect copy and paste meme going around Twitter today. Are suicide rates up during the pandemic? No. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/21/suicide-rates-pandemic-unchanged

Opinion | Suicide rates during the pandemic remained unchanged. Here’s what we can learn from that.

To understand what is true, look at the data.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/21/suicide-rates-pandemic-unchanged

Also: suicide rates do not spike during the holidays. In fact, rates are lowest in December. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/holiday.html

And one more myth, this one not so feelgood: https://www.vice.com/en/article/9k884v/do-suicide-hotlines-work

We Looked Into Whether Suicide Hotlines Actually Work

Just because calls increase doesn’t necessarily mean suicide rates decrease.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/9k884v/do-suicide-hotlines-work

Again, the meme is well intentioned, but inflated suicide numbers have been used by Trump and others as an argument against lockdowns.

If you know someone struggling with depression, reach out to them, make sure they’re getting the care they need. And that also includes signing up for ACA insurance by Dec 15 if they need it!

You can follow @andrewtshaffer.

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