Suicide deaths in the United States decreased in 2020. Still, the whole picture remains unclear amid the isolating coronavirus pandemic, which, according to reports, has resulted in higher levels of mental health problems in the United States.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said officials registered less than 45,000 suicides in the United States last year, the lowest number since 2015.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 13: A message is seen on the Golden Gate Bridge near where the new suicide prevention net is being installed on December 13, 2019, in San Francisco, California. Installation of the Golden Gate Bridge suicide prevention net has been delayed at least two years due to the lead contractor's issues on the job. The installation was scheduled to be completed in 2021 but is now expected to be completed by 2023.
The number of deaths is expected to increase as more certificates are issued, the Associated Press said. Despite concerns that COVID-19 could lead to further suicides, officials expect a significant decline to continue.
The Associated Press noted that the number of suicides in the United States reached a new record in 2018, with the highest rate since 1941.
The 2018 figure followed nearly two decades of steadily rising suicide rates that began in the early 2000s.
In 2019, there was a small decrease in incidents due to improved mental health screenings and other suicide prevention methods.
Why Did The Suicide Cases Drop in 2020 Amid COVID-19 Pandemic?
According to one expert, it may be due to a frequent occurrence seen in the initial stages of natural disasters and wars.
"There's a heroism phase in every disaster period, where we're banding together and expressing lots of messages of support that we're in this together," said Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
"You saw that, at least in the early months of the pandemic," she told the wire service.
The accessibility of telehealth facilities, according to Moutier, may have contributed to the decrease.
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Moutier, on the other hand, said she'd like to see the demographic breakdown of suicides until the CDC releases it since it's possible that suicides haven't decreased among teenagers and young adults.
"[We may] see the whole mental health ramifications of this pandemic," at a later point, Moutier told the outlet.
One in Three COVID-19 Survivors Diagnosed With Psychological, Neurological Conditions
The news comes just days after the Medical Journal of Lancet Psychiatry published a report. The study, titled "6-Month Neurological and Psychiatric Outcomes in 236 379 Survivors of COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Electronic Health Records," found that one in three COVID-19 survivors received diagnoses for psychiatric or neurological disorders six months after their infections.
Researchers diagnosed a neurological or psychological disorder in nearly 34 percent of COVID-19 patients. More than 12 percent of people with COVID-19 were diagnosed for the first time with these conditions.
In the six months following their admission, 46 percent of those admitted to intensive care units were diagnosed with a neurological or psychological illness-a quarter of those admitted obtaining their first such diagnosis.
Anxiety was the most common condition, with 17 percent of those reported to have COVID-19. Nineteen percent of those admitted to the ICU, having the illness. Almost 14 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19, including 15 percent of those admitted to the ICU, said they had a mood disorder.
The authors observed that those who had more serious cases of COVID-19, requiring hospitalization or intensive care, had a greater risk of neurological and psychological disorders.
COVID-19 survivors who received outpatient treatment, on the other hand, were more likely to develop these conditions: 17.5 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively, were diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorders.
Researchers also discovered that people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 had a 44 percent higher chance of developing a neurological or psychological illness than people who had the flu. COVID-19 survivors were also 16 percent more likely than those with respiratory tract infections to develop the illnesses.
There is support available if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide. Call 800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, text 741741 for a crisis counselor, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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