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Youth suicide in El Paso County increased by 34 percent in 2020
PANDEMIC PSYCHOLOGY
Youth suicide in El Paso County increased by 34 percent in 2020
John Miller 11 hrs ago
Even a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 113 million people fully vaccinated against the virus worldwide and about 2 million shots administered every day in the United States alone, how long this health crisis will last remains an open question. While epidemiologists consider whether public health efforts will be sufficient to avoid a future where the virus continues to kill, some mental health professionals have also seen signs of an emerging psychosocial crisis that may be running parallel to — and might outlast — the pandemic.
“There are surveys and reports that document already an increase in symptoms of anxiety, depression and distress all around the world,” says Dr. Imad Melhem, a psychiatrist who is chief medical officer at Diversus Health, southern Colorado’s largest community mental health provider. ... So far, he says, it appears the pandemic may be taking the greatest toll on the mental health of young people.
Results of a nationwide study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last June supported the theory that the illness, death, social isolation and economic devastation caused by the pandemic have adversely affected the mental health of American adults. Over 40 percent of 5,412 respondents ages 18 and older reported increased substance abuse, anxiety or depression that they believed to be directly correlated with the COVID crisis. Around 11 percent seriously considered suicide in the 30 days before taking the survey, compared with 4 percent in 2018.
While the CDC hasn’t released national suicide data for 2020, provisional data from Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment showed no notable trend from 2019 to 2020 statewide or in El Paso County. There was actually a decrease statewide, from 1,287 to 1,274, while the county showed no change, with 182 self-inflicted deaths in both years. ... But youth suicide data tells a different story — 83 youths (ages 10 to 18) died by suicide in Colorado in 2020 versus 73 in 2019, a 13 percent increase. In El Paso County, 17 took their own lives in 2020 versus 11 in 2019, a 54 percent increase. ... Melhem says that trend follows an uptick he has seen in youths seeking psychiatric help at Diversus during COVID.
{snip}
Youth suicide in El Paso County increased by 34 percent in 2020
John Miller 11 hrs ago
Even a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 113 million people fully vaccinated against the virus worldwide and about 2 million shots administered every day in the United States alone, how long this health crisis will last remains an open question. While epidemiologists consider whether public health efforts will be sufficient to avoid a future where the virus continues to kill, some mental health professionals have also seen signs of an emerging psychosocial crisis that may be running parallel to — and might outlast — the pandemic.
“There are surveys and reports that document already an increase in symptoms of anxiety, depression and distress all around the world,” says Dr. Imad Melhem, a psychiatrist who is chief medical officer at Diversus Health, southern Colorado’s largest community mental health provider. ... So far, he says, it appears the pandemic may be taking the greatest toll on the mental health of young people.
Results of a nationwide study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last June supported the theory that the illness, death, social isolation and economic devastation caused by the pandemic have adversely affected the mental health of American adults. Over 40 percent of 5,412 respondents ages 18 and older reported increased substance abuse, anxiety or depression that they believed to be directly correlated with the COVID crisis. Around 11 percent seriously considered suicide in the 30 days before taking the survey, compared with 4 percent in 2018.
While the CDC hasn’t released national suicide data for 2020, provisional data from Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment showed no notable trend from 2019 to 2020 statewide or in El Paso County. There was actually a decrease statewide, from 1,287 to 1,274, while the county showed no change, with 182 self-inflicted deaths in both years. ... But youth suicide data tells a different story — 83 youths (ages 10 to 18) died by suicide in Colorado in 2020 versus 73 in 2019, a 13 percent increase. In El Paso County, 17 took their own lives in 2020 versus 11 in 2019, a 54 percent increase. ... Melhem says that trend follows an uptick he has seen in youths seeking psychiatric help at Diversus during COVID.
{snip}
