What are “suicide clusters” and why did Covid increase them?

COVID-19 itself has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Some are afraid that suicides have resulted in the loss of life and the emergence of suicide groups due to major lifestyle changes after the outbreak.

In Clark County School District, Nevada, 18 students have committed suicide since the school closed in March. This is twice as many as the school district last year. New York Times report. Between July 1st and December 31st, 12 students committed suicide, and the youngest student was 9 years old. One student left a note that there was nothing to look forward to.

“But given the political mood this summer, many of them [youth mental health] The warning was dismissed as a horror tactic. Parents of deceased students say that linking suicide with school closures has become almost taboo. ” @EricaLG: https://t.co/uMkR6N0liW

— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) January 25, 2021

Mental health for children and young adults throughout the pandemic is for professionals and parents, as students across the country are returning to classrooms where they must follow strict social distance guidelines at best, or at worst not returning to school. It is related. all.

Adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are also affected by unemployment, fear of diminished career prospects, and loneliness due to long-term restrictions on meetings. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey in August, 25% of young adults in this age group considered suicide last month. (Related: 25% of young adults said they considered suicide during a coronavirus pandemic: CDC)

Sadly, we recently lost a member of the USU family to suicide. Here is information to help you connect your students, colleagues and yourself to mental health resources as we mourn. We have support whenever you need it. There is a thread of resources to help you connect wherever you are. pic.twitter.com/EjMOSBsnA6

— Utah State University (@USUAggies) January 25, 2021

A Suicide cluster According to the National Elf Service, owned and operated by a spin-out company at Oxford University, more suicides than expected at time, place, or both, including three or more deaths. Adolescents are most likely to be involved in suicide groups, and are concerned about experts tracking these trends, reducing the mental health of adolescents and children.

Dr. Jennifer Hoffman of Lully Children’s Hospital in Chicago said WGNTV Emergency department visits for adolescents’ mental health status have increased dramatically in the emergency room.

“We know that children are facing heightened social isolation and the loss of their usual sources of support such as peers, teachers and coaches. And many children are no longer their normal. I don’t have access to sources of mental health care, “she said.

“Children at the root of depression and anxiety can get worse, and unfortunately more and more teenagers are suicidal.”

A few doctor He also reported an increase in the number of suicidal children and teens appearing in the emergency department in plans for how they would end their lives.

New York, NY – April 23: FDNY emergency personnel drop patients from an ambulance near the entrance to the emergency room at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Mike Lowry / Getty Images)

Child and adolescent psychiatrists and other adolescent doctors list a number of factors that contribute to increased depression and suicidal ideation in children and teens. Some children have lost their families on COVID-19 or lost their jobs during a pandemic. Other children lost contact with their friends and lost access to activities they previously enjoyed, such as school sports and other activities.

“They may start to feel like they’re in a situation they can’t solve,” Dr. Richard Martini, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Utah, told NPR. “They may also be in a position to feel that even their parents can’t talk to anyone because their parents are so upset, and as the number of solutions to the situation diminishes, they can start thinking. You can, you know, I’d rather be dead than organize this. “

In the Frisco Independent School District in Texas, the number of students requiring hospitalization due to a mental health emergency increased during the school year. Of the 62,000 students in the district, 317 were hospitalized due to mental health concerns as of December 11, up from the total number for the previous year. The number of students who thought, attempted, or died of suicide during 2020 is also on track to exceed the previous year’s total. Texas Tribune..

Suicidal ideation and increased suicide deaths also Decrease He committed suicide in 2019 for the first time in 10 years. CDC ReportThe US Mortality 2019, released in December 2020, revealed that between 2018 and 2019, age-adjusted mortality from suicide decreased by 2.1% in the country.

Due to the surge in youth suicide and worsening mental health, some schools have begun surveillance Student device.. Schools in the Clark County district will begin using an early warning system to monitor student mental health and will notify the district if behavioral or writing concerns are detected on a school-issued iPad.

“These children, especially adolescents, have some degree of social isolation, but I think it’s something they’ve never experienced before,” Martini told NPR.