This strikes me as some really shoddy #COVID reporting: https://abc7news.com/health/suicides-on-the-rise-amid-stay-at-home-order-bay-area-doctors-say/6201962/

1) Trauma docs and nurses citing they "have never seen so much intentional injury", "The numbers are unprecedented", "We've never seen numbers like this".

No numbers given in actual article.

2) "Doctors...say they have seen more deaths by suicide during this quarantine period than deaths from the COVID-19 virus."

Contra Costa county has had 33 COVID deaths; unclear how many of those would have been handled by the John Muir *trauma* service and why.

3) Suicide rate in Contra Costa county averages to ~15/month, though general trend is for more in spring. It'd be expected on an average year for them to outnumber COVID cases there.

(And again, with GSW suicides low in CA, why would so many get funneled to the trauma service?)

4) This feels like a political campaign to end the stay-at-home order, weakly bolstered with unsubstantiated quotes from a few people with medical credentials but no actual expertise in a) mental health, b) public health or c) math.

5) There may be good reasons to consider loosening restrictions in counties with low case counts (and good testing), but just a reminder for reporters, healthcare providers, and legislators: USE DATA TO MAKE DECISIONS, NOT UNSUBSTANTIATED STORIES, PLEASE!

6) Full disclosure, I do think stay-at-home orders will worsen mental health and potentially increase suicides eventually, but I hate when people back my argument poorly with bad science.

thoughts, @drjessigold @jack_turban @meganranney @EmmyBetz @ViolenceWonks, @tylerblack32?