Re:Suicide trends in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic
by keithnz on Tuesday April 13, 2021 @07:07PM
(#26800652)
Looking at how small the numbers are, I think the error on finer grain analysis would end up being misleading. The data seems to be saying lockdowns are not really a significant factor
Re:Suicide trends in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic
by rossdavidh on Tuesday April 13, 2021 @06:49PM
(#26800468)
Well, it all depends on the exact mechanisms for how "I'm depressed" gets all the way to suicide. No question that the lockdown was depressing for a lot of people, but there's all kinds of reasons it might not (in the early months) have led to an increase in suicides, including:
- a feeling that it wasn't just you, lots of people felt this way
- a feeling that an end was in sight, unlike if you think you've just screwed up your life somehow
- an understanding that the way you were feeling was not your fault, and had an external cause, rather than being about your worth or etc.
Not saying any of these theories (guesses) are right, just suggesting there are lots of possibilities which would need to be examined to really understand what went on (and didn't) during a lockdown.
Maybe looking at suicides within specific populations would be more telling. I imagine for many, working from home was an opportunity. For others, it meant unemployment.