The coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on the city of London.
Sadly, the number of suicide and attempted suicide incidents we attend are increasing. Our crews now attend an average of 37 suicides or attempted suicides per day, compared to 22 in 2019 and 17 five years ago.
However, Londoners are not alone in their struggle to adapt to life post-pandemic.
An Israeli crisis hotline says it is receiving an unprecedented level of suicidal calls — and many of them are from people who did not have previously diagnosed mental health issues before the pandemic started.
The current lockdown has doubled the normal volume of suicidal calls to ERAN, a non-profit that is supported by the Health Ministry. Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, some 5,500 Israelis who are considering ending their lives have made contact.
These trends follow an earlier report by the CDC which found that approximately 1 in 4 Americans aged 18-24 had considered suicide in the month of June.
Although the above trends point to a steep rise in suicide during the pandemic, a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that in the US, suicide rates have been rising for two decades. The authors of the paper suggested, therefore, that rather than causing a suicide epidemic, both the coronavirus and attempts to control it (e.g. via lockdowns, social distancing) may instead be exacerbating an existing problem.
Indeed, suicide is already the second leading cause of death in the US among people 10-34 years old.
If you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, support is available.
Lifeline (China): 400 821 1215 (10am – 10pm, 365 days a year)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA): 1-800-273-8255 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Samaritans (UK): 116 123 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
Additional suicide hotlines
