Read on Twitter
Monthly data from the Victorian Suicides Register shows that until the start of September 2020, there had been no increase in suicides in the state compared to previous years
https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-08/Coroners%20Court%20Monthy%20Suicide%20Data%20Report%20-%20Report%201%20-%2027082020.pdf https://twitter.com/Paul_Karp/status/1320930338495868929
https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-08/Coroners%20Court%20Monthy%20Suicide%20Data%20Report%20-%20Report%201%20-%2027082020.pdf https://twitter.com/Paul_Karp/status/1320930338495868929
Of course, this does not preclude a large increase in September/October, but at least using the best current evidence there does not appear to be evidence to support the claim that policy has driven a direct increase in suicides
I have just found the more recent Coroners report showing that this trend persisted in September - again, it is possible that there was a large increase in Oct, but currently no evidence of an increase in suicide rates in Victoria in 2020 https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-08/Coroners%20Court%20Monthy%20Suicide%20Data%20Report%20-%20Report%201%20-%2027082020.pdf
This is in line with international evidence, which has failed to find a strong link between lockdown policies and suicidality https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.20.20215343v1?%253fcollection=
Also worth pointing out that this does not preclude the lockdown causing mental health issues such as depression
Moreover, population statistics do not speak to the individual experience - it can be true that a single person's suicide was caused by the lockdown and that it has not caused an increase in suicide more broadly (perhaps because it prevented some suicides as well)
