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[TW -Suicide]
The ONS has published data on suicide rates in England
Counterintuitively, given how hard 2020 was all round, stats reveal a significant *reduction* in suicide rates in the latter half of last year
https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland2001to2019registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter4octtodec2020provisionaldata
But">https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/... there& #39;s much more at work here
/1
The ONS has published data on suicide rates in England
Counterintuitively, given how hard 2020 was all round, stats reveal a significant *reduction* in suicide rates in the latter half of last year
https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland2001to2019registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter4octtodec2020provisionaldata
But">https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/... there& #39;s much more at work here
/1
I fear that some may take this simple fact, i.e. suicide rates were lower in 2020 than previous years, and jump to unfounded conclusions
Lockdown/the pandemic wasn& #39;t so bad
The & #39;community spirit& #39; helped people
Mental health consequences weren& #39;t as bad as many said etc.
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Lockdown/the pandemic wasn& #39;t so bad
The & #39;community spirit& #39; helped people
Mental health consequences weren& #39;t as bad as many said etc.
/2
In truth, there are much simpler, albeit far less optimistic, explanations. The main one is highlighted by the ONS themselves
Basically, it took a lot longer to register a suicide as such in the latter half of last year
Coroners were overwhelmed
Because of the pandemic
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Basically, it took a lot longer to register a suicide as such in the latter half of last year
Coroners were overwhelmed
Because of the pandemic
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The fact that there were fewer official suicides last year is sort of like how you get fewer ambulances being called out for heart attacks during an earthquake; it& #39;s not that the former isn& #39;t happening, it that the latter is taking up all the resources to deal with it
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There are other potential explanations too, of course
Maybe the lockdown/pandemic *did* have a beneficial effect. I& #39;ve heard reports of those with long term depression/anxiety feeling reassured by it, as it felt like their moods and fears were & #39;validated& #39;
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Maybe the lockdown/pandemic *did* have a beneficial effect. I& #39;ve heard reports of those with long term depression/anxiety feeling reassured by it, as it felt like their moods and fears were & #39;validated& #39;
/5
Or maybe the community spirit stuff *did* help some people. When everyone& #39;s in the same boat and reduced to communicating online, maybe that helped some people reach out more, bringing them back from the edge
Can& #39;t know this for sure, but it& #39;s feasible, at least
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Can& #39;t know this for sure, but it& #39;s feasible, at least
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On the other hand, maybe the lockdown and restrictions just made suicide more challenging. When everyone& #39;s keeping an eye on everyone else and you can go to fewer places and buy fewer things, it must limit your options somewhat.
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This is all just speculation, in fairness
But here& #39;s the reason for this thread; you just *know* there& #39;s some cynical journo somewhere who& #39;ll see this data about reduced suicide rates last year, take it at face value, and spin it into some optimistic pro-government story
/8
But here& #39;s the reason for this thread; you just *know* there& #39;s some cynical journo somewhere who& #39;ll see this data about reduced suicide rates last year, take it at face value, and spin it into some optimistic pro-government story
/8
"Suicide reduction show lockdown wasn& #39;t so bad"
"Country more optimistic than ever, Boris is doing a great job"
"Mental health concerns about lockdown are overblown"
And so on
All of this is utterly wrong. But since when has that stopped anyone?
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"Country more optimistic than ever, Boris is doing a great job"
"Mental health concerns about lockdown are overblown"
And so on
All of this is utterly wrong. But since when has that stopped anyone?
/9
Truth is, suicide numbers dropped last year, and it& #39;s likely because the system responsible for recognising them was compromised by the pandemic.
Spinning this in a way that reflects *positively* on a govt. which has slashed said system to ribbons would be... well, vile.
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Spinning this in a way that reflects *positively* on a govt. which has slashed said system to ribbons would be... well, vile.
/10
But such things happen all the time nowadays. So it wouldn& #39;t surprise me at all if it comes to pass.
Figured this thread may help some people see reality, that #mentalhealth and suicide are still big problems in the pandemic, before victims are exploited to argue otherwise
/end
Figured this thread may help some people see reality, that #mentalhealth and suicide are still big problems in the pandemic, before victims are exploited to argue otherwise
/end
