Suicide and the Pandemic: A Perfect Storm That Wasn’t
Years, suicide rates in the US have been increasing. Surprisingly, that trend reversed in the first year of the pandemic, according to a report from the Federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The declines were in most age groups except for young people;though even in that group, suicides did not increase as much as earlier feared. A researcher speculates that otherwise isolated, desperate people benefitted from an overall “coming together” effect as the world faced a common threat.
After suicide rates in the US increased by 35 percent from 1999 to 2018, rates declined slightly in 2019. With the pandemic came physical distancing and emotional and financial stresses that public health officials worried would trigger a “perfect storm” of risk factors and drive up the number of suicides significantly.
Instead, the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a report released in November 2021 on preliminary data, says suicide rates in the US declined 3% in 2020. However, there were some significant differences among certain age and ethnic groups.
Fewer suicides among White men and women, down by 3 percent and 10 percent respectively, were the biggest drivers of the decline. The CDC data showed minor increases in suicide rates for Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives and Blacks – although the rate increase for Blacks was statistically insignificant. (The CDC noted a caveat about these statistics in that jurisdictions did not uniformly report whether Whites or Blacks were Hispanic or non-Hispanic.)
Looking at age, suicide rates for boys and young men increased, although not as drastically as was feared last year when the CDC reported increases in emergency room visits for children. These were largely due to suicide attempts or mental health problems, and to widespread school shutdowns during the first year of the pandemic. As of November 2021, the CDC reported that the suicide rate for boys 10-14 increased 13% and for young men 25-34 by 5 percent. The suicide rate for adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 was 4% higher in 2020. Meanwhile suicide rates for almost all other age groups, male and female, declined.
One suicide researcher indicates the recent drop in completed suicides among adults could be due to a transient effect known as the “come together” effect which has been detected after natural catastrophes such as massive earthquakes or hurricanes. Lila McCormick, a psychologist who researched the factors behind a decline in suicides in the Canadian province of Saskatoon from 2019 to 2020, said that despite being physically distanced, many people during the pandemic concentrated on finding ways to reach out to others. "This can lead individuals who are previously feeling quite isolated or marginalized to experience increased social support at this time,” she said. The pandemic may have made some personal problems fade in comparison to the big picture, she added in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation interview. "It can make previous problems appear less pressing, at least for the moment, and potentially make one's health or life seem more valuable," she said.
One takeaway from the CDC’s findings for those interested in suicide prevention is that even in difficult times -- such as a pandemic – when suicidal risk factors are heightened, we can “bend the curve” through “pulling together” and taking proactive steps to connect with each other. Visit the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention website for stories and resources for preventing suicides in your community.
If you know of someone who is having a tough time during this prolonged pandemic, visit www.zerosuicide.com for information on what you can say and do to help them.