It is a well known fact that social isolation can have a negative impact on emotional wellbeing. For this reason, there was an increase in mental health issues during the lockdown and many people sought medical help during this time. As individuals struggled to cope with the effect of the pandemic, there were a number of reports of suspected suicides linked to the coronavirus including those waiting for COVID-19 test results and those facing coronavirus-related bankruptcy. So has there been an increase in suicides during COVID-19? To date there has been no specific research that shows a direct link between the COVID-19 pandemic and suicidal thoughts.
Despite the current lack of concrete data, many experts believe we will see a rise in pandemic-related suicides. Millions of people lost their jobs, their homes or their businesses and around the world there was an increase in people suffering from anxiety, stress and depression due to the coronavirus lockdown. We know that suicide is often the result of a number of factors and it is a complex issue. While social distancing is vital to stop the spread of the virus, this only adds to the emotional burden and stress we are all experiencing.
It will take many months, or even years, to understand the full impact of COVID-19 on suicide, but it is obvious that social distancing, curfews, remote working, remote schooling and job losses may result in more suicides in the coming years.