Suicide deaths have declined during the pandemic, but experts warn the toll might be yet to come – By Zeenya Shah (National Post) / Mar 29 2021
Suicides are a complex issue, and experts caution that the downward trend in death rates in 2020 does not tell the whole story
While the calamitous nature of the pandemic sent Canadians’ stress and anxiety levels soaring, it may actually have had an opposite effect on suicide deaths. Data from across the country show the numbers of deaths from suicides actually decreased in 2020.
The trauma from a year of lockdowns and social distancing — lost jobs, broken relationships, bankrupt businesses — has been well-documented in the mental health statistics. Polling data from the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use in October found that more than half of Canadians were dealing with some sort mental health illness. Calls to Canada Suicide Prevention Service were up 200 per cent in 2020 over 2019. To cope with the stress, loneliness or boredom, Canadians were drinking more, smoking more and doing more drugs.
But there was one surprising bright spot amid the data. Suicide rates were actually on the decline in many provinces in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.
Suicides are a complex issue, however, and experts caution that the downward trend in death rates in 2020 does not tell the whole story. As unusual as 2020 was in every way, it may also be an unusual year for suicide deaths.
