Title: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Suicide Rates
Headings: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Suicide Rates
The Impact Of Covid-19 On Suicide Rates
Could the coronavirus lead to a national suicide crisis? Here's what experts are saying.
The Risk Factors For Covid-19 Suicides
Social Distancing and Isolation
Economic Stress
Barriers To Mental Healthcare
Constant and Pervasive Collective Anxiety
Increase In Gun Sales
Frontline Workers
How To Help
Other Things We Can All Do
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Content: Debt is a huge mental health burden. According to research presented by The Aspen Institute 16 percent of suicides in the United States occur in response to a financial problem. Dr. Thomas Richardson, PhD., agrees that there is a strong relationship between debt and mental health problems. He and his research team did a big analysis of existing studies and found debt to be significantly correlated to: Depression
Suicide completion
Suicide completion or attempt
Problem drinking
Drug dependence
Neurotic disorder
Psychotic disorders
None of this is new. After the stock market crashed in 1929, The New York Times reported 100 suicides and suicide attempts from October 24 through the end of the year. In more recent history, researchers estimated that the 2007 economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides. Still other research shows that suicide rates increase both in years the stock market big drops—and in the year after. While no one has a crystal ball, the most respected economists say economic recovery will be long and shaky. For some perspective, Anita Gopinath, the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund wrote on her blog, “The cumulative loss to global GDP over 2020 and 2021 from the pandemic crisis could be around 9 trillion dollars, greater than the economies of Japan and Germany, combined.”