Suicide v Covid-19 - where is the real pandemic?

In the last 4 or 5 weeks alone, I have seen so much heartache caused by suicide.  I have spoke with friends and acquaintances who have personally experienced work colleagues or family members that have taken their own lives.

In the media we see that the younger generation are struggling and seeing suicide as the only way out of their pain.  Suicide is the leading killer of men in the age bracket of 45-49 and is increasing in the under 25’s.

The coronavirus pandemic has created havoc in our everyday world.  Never have we had an illness that has impacted our lives so greatly.  It has affected the way we live, school, socialise and work.

The Global Numbers:

Covid-19 cases:  20 million
Covid-19 deaths:  734,000

If we look at these facts relative to mental health and suicide, then we really start to put the global mental health situation into context and these numbers are pre-covid 19 and increasing year on year.

Depression:  An estimated 264 million people are affected by depression
Bipolar Disorder:  An estimated 45 million people worldwide
Schizophrenia and other psychoses:  affecting 20 million people worldwide

Death by Suicide ytd:  653,000 – that is 2941 people per day!

[source:  worldometer & WHO]

There is no vaccination for suicide, so awareness and education are essential. 

Funding and resources allocated to mental health are almost non-existent in many health systems around the world; 80% of people with mental health problems live in low and middle income countries, where fewer than 1 in 5 get any treatment. When mental health services do exist, they are often not adequate or appropriate. It is a silent epidemic, and those suffering are often not in a position to demand action or ask for help.

My question to you is “Where is the real pandemic and what are we doing about it?”……

If you are struggling you can reach out to the following organisations:

CALM (Campagin against living miserably)
Phone: 0800 58 58 58, 5pm to midnight 7 days per week

Papyrus
Phone: 0800 026 4141, Mon-Fri 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm

The Samaritans
Phone: 116 123. This number is free to call from both landlines and mobiles, including pay-as-you-go mobiles. You do not need to have any credit or call allowance on your plan to call 116 123.

Via email
 jo@samaritans.org 

Emailing us on jo@samaritans.org is free.