This story was published by @abc7newsbayarea Thursday and it is incredibly problematic, so I had to check it out. It’s been RTed tens of thousands of times, yet its premise is entirely wrong and inaccurate. Honestly, surprised it was even published. Please indulge me this thread:

This story claims that doctors at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut, CA “have seen more deaths by suicide during this quarantine period than deaths from COVID-19” which is yes, alarming. It cites the head of trauma for the hospital and a trauma nurse, but cites no actual numbers

“We’ve never seen numbers like this,” Dr Mike deBoisblanc says, backing this claim. Again, alarming, but no numbers quoted in the story. So I asked.
COVID-19 deaths in Contra Costa County: 36
Suicide deaths since quarantine: 26

The story has since been picked up by conservative media and repeated as a talking point by those protesting stay-in-home orders, even though the story is completely wrong. This has been a talking point for some time, even though there’s been no evidence to back it

“The numbers are unprecedented” the @abc7newsbayarea story says.
They’re not.
While suicides in the months of March and April are up, it’s in single digits. In fact, so far there were more suicides reported last year than this year during quarantine period.

This is not to downplay the seriousness of mental health rn and always. But this comparison has been a political talking point that ignores the real need for mental health resources. It’s not a political football to bring out when it suits (incorrectly) the political narrative