AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK (AP) The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.
Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides.
It is hard to say exactly why suicide deaths dropped so much, but one factor may be a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, some experts suggested.
“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.”
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, US suicides dropped nearly 6% in 2020
Print article NEW YORK The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data. Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides. It is hard to say exactly why suicide deaths dropped so much, but one factor may be a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, some experts suggested.
US suicides dropped last year, defying pandemic expectations
This article is provided courtesy of the Associated Press.
People walk along the path during the 2020 Breaking the Silence suicide prevention walk on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City File)
Apr 08, 2021
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Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides.
It is hard to say exactly why suicide deaths dropped so much, but one factor may be a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, some experts suggested.
US suicides fell nearly 6% in 2020, defying COVID-19 pandemic expectations
By Mike Stobbe
Researchers surveyed ‘parental burnout’ across the globe and found American parents among most exhausted
The study was put together by the university UCLouvain in Belgium and thousands of parents in 42 countries participated.
NEW YORK (AP) - The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.
Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides.
NEW YORK –
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Editor s note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)]
The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.
Death certificates are still coming in and the count could rise. But officials expect a substantial decline will endure, despite worries that COVID-19 could lead to more suicides.
It is hard to say exactly why suicide deaths dropped so much, but one factor may be a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, some experts suggested.