The analysis is based on historic evidence that each 1% rise in joblessness is associated with a 1% hike in the number of people who die by suicide
Unemployment brought on by the COVID-19 lockdown could trigger as any as 2,100 extra suicides this year and next, predicts a new study whose lead author is calling on governments to re-open the economy faster.
The challenge now is to stave off those deaths and one key is to get the millions of Canadians rendered unemployed by the lockdown back to work, said Dr. Roger McIntyre, the paper’s lead author. The lockdown made sense initially, but the time has passed to fully restart, ensuring safety measures such as social distancing and use of masks in public spaces are followed, he said.
The study analyzed the correlation between unemployment and rates of suicide, finding that between 2000 and 2018 in Canada, each one per cent rise in joblessness was associated with a one per cent increase in suicide rate. Statistics Canada put unemployment at 13 per cent in April, with some experts estimating it could rise to 16 per cent.
And unlike in previous economic downturns, governments have acted aggressively to alleviate the hardship, while at the same time pumping more money into mental health care, she said. Some research, for instance, has found the association diminishes when social-welfare measures are implemented to counteract the economic harm, he said.
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