Lockdowns and Suicide

Howard Beale · 14-12-2020 3:26pm #1

So it looks like we are going back into lockdown in January as this political kite flying usually happens.

I knew of several suicides during the first 2 lockdowns one was a very lady like erudite primary school teacher who thought this covid thing is bull plop another was a very well paid engineer who had drug issues and went back on the drugs during lockdown and his mental health went down the tubes then.

One thing I see time and time again with lockdown is those with sensitive natures or mental issues or addiction issues suffer terribly during all of this. I personally am convinced suicides are far greater than those deaths of covid (people who died of Covid without underlying issues. Suicides are through the roof and being ignored by and large by the media.

Everyday someone knows somebody who kills themselves somewhere.

It's ever so sad and macabre but it goes to show the governments of the World care not for the public and don't give a shyt if people kill themselves or not. Of course it doesn't help the best charity in Ireland Pieta house is being crushed and funding slashed with 28 redundancies this year alone. God forbid a good charity gets real help from the state eh?

Anyone suffering out there you always have a reason to go on. It might not be obvious now as depression clouds judgement and does wrap reality incredibly. Just know this too shall pass in spite of these monsters in government trying their utmost to destroy the economy and mental health of the nation you will get by.

https://www.thejournal.ie/pieta-house-lost-e6-5-million-30-cuts-5090521-May2020/

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/you-could-well-be-looking-at-january-restrictions-taoiseachs-warning-as-he-eyes-may-or-june-for-country-to-completely-reopen-39859583.html

Seth Brundle · 14-12-2020 3:30pm

Have you a point to this thread or just to say that because the governments around the world are doing what they can to prevent a massive amount of deaths due to a pandemic, an unfotunate side-effect is some suicides (which may or may not have happened anyhow) but the government are at fault.
Have you any suggestions on how the pandemic should have been managed to avoid any negatives in terms of people's mental health or are you just wanting to point fingers but have nothing constructive to add?

Seth Brundle · 14-12-2020 3:33pm

I also note from a quick look at your other posts that you seem to have strong feelings against the government.
Are you simply using suicides to achieve your bias?

Howard Beale · 14-12-2020 3:48pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

I also note from a quick look at your other posts that you seem to have strong feelings against the government.
Are you simply using suicides to achieve your bias?

I understand the government does not care not jot about people.

I think rolling lockdowns ad finitum will lead to endless job losses and suicides and yes of course their are countless better alternatives like not having them for a start.

Your callous disregard strikes me as eerily and savagely cold.

You describe suicide as 'an unfortunate side effect'

Sweet Jesus that is cold as ice.

Seth Brundle · 14-12-2020 3:55pm

Yeah, it may be cold but if they didn't have the lockdowns (which are based on scientific evidence), how many deaths would there be (should your anger be directed towards science rather than politicians?)?
Am I cold for thinking that governments around the world are taking the right approach when they implement lockdowns (because the best way to stop the spread is to discourage people meeting)?

Don't get me wrong, the government have made mistakes. However, for them to have not had lockdowns would be the worst mistake.
I also note that whilst you try to attack me, you still have not put forward a potential solution that would have both stymied the spread of the virus whilst also looking after people's mental health to the point that suicide would not have been an option.

Your lack of understanding about the pandemic and how to prevent the spread suits your anti-government agenda.
It's convenient for your anti-government argument to manipulate suicides. Surely that is far, far colder than me making the description of a "side-effect" of the lockdown?

hots · 14-12-2020 4:09pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

I understand the government does not care not jot about people.

That seems like a great plan to get re-elected.

sydthebeat · 14-12-2020 4:13pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

I understand the government does not care not jot about people.
.......

apart from enacting lockdowns in a pandemic to prevent unnecessary deaths of vulnerable people... of course

(you probably just forgot to mention that because of its self evidence)

suicide_circus · 14-12-2020 4:18pm

collateral damage

ELM327 · 14-12-2020 4:22pm

suicides happen anyway.
As someone that has been through various emotional and mental health issues, the lockdown is just one of many agitating factors.

El Tarangu · 14-12-2020 4:22pm

Is there any evidence that suicides have actually gone up?

Any evidence I have seen suggests that they have gone up in some places, gone down in other places, stayed the same in other places - so, no clear correlation between lockdowns and the suicide rate.

Elmer Blooker · 14-12-2020 4:23pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

I understand the government does not care not jot about people.

I think rolling lockdowns ad finitum will lead to endless job losses and suicides and yes of course their are countless better alternatives like not having them for a start.

Your callous disregard strikes me as eerily and savagely cold.

You describe suicide as 'an unfortunate side effect'

Sweet Jesus that is cold as ice.

These lockdowns have had a strange effect on some people.
I know people who used to be reasonably well balanced but are now barking mad hysterical hypochondriacs.

odyssey06 · 14-12-2020 5:00pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

I personally am convinced suicides are far greater than those deaths of covid (people who died of Covid without underlying issues.

Why would it matter that they should not have underlying issues?
Should we only count suicides in people who didn't have any history of mental health issues?

How many suicides are down to impact of lockdown, versus the impact of dealing with a global pandemic...
If we didn't lockdown or take measures to suppress the virus, wouldn't the deaths of thousands more people (yes even ones with underlying conditions) have difficult consequences for their loves ones?
Bearing in mind in first lockdown the highest demographic in ICU were people aged 55-64.

Tacitus Kilgore · 14-12-2020 5:15pm

Ah yes,

They've gone from pretending to care about the "hombliss, ARE OWEN hombliss" to suicides.

And yes, Coronavirus, the restrictions around it & consqeuences of same are solely an Irish problem, solely caused by the govt.

Or is corona not real? I can't even tell anymore

Howard Beale · 14-12-2020 5:26pm

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

These lockdowns have had a strange effect on some people.
I know people who used to be reasonably well balanced but are now barking mad hysterical hypochondriacs.

Doubt hypochondriacs over all this covid nonsense will kill themselves though.

ThewhiteJesus · 14-12-2020 5:33pm

As someone who suffers from depression and will probably end up a suicide case, the main problem is cost.
You have a couple of choices, anti depressants or counselling or a shrink, the counsellor is 80 to 100 for 45 minutes,
the shrink is multiples of that.
So for anyone like me who can't afford that it's antidepressants, and while they help initially they don't solve the problem.
So yes in my view, the government could have done more, helped with reducing cost, or giving help to those that can't afford it.
I'm not saying paying for it in full, but perhaps some help.
But this subject is the elephant in the room, my own family have turned their back, so why am i surprised the government has too.

PTH2009 · 14-12-2020 5:52pm

ThewhiteJesus wrote: »

As someone who suffers from depression and will probably end up a suicide case, the main problem is cost.
You have a couple of choices, anti depressants or counselling or a shrink, the counsellor is 80 to 100 for 45 minutes,
the shrink is multiples of that.
So for anyone like me who can't afford that it's antidepressants, and while they help initially they don't solve the problem.
So yes in my view, the government could have done more, helped with reducing cost, or giving help to those that can't afford it.
I'm not saying paying for it in full, but perhaps some help.
But this subject is the elephant in the room, my own family have turned their back, so why am i surprised the government has too.

The public mental health system is a joke and all they do is prescribe antidepressants etc. They work for some people but don't for others. I will never touch them again after making me gain massive amounts of weight and making me feel sluggish

The amount of negativity going around in the media and then the slow roll out of vaccines is too much. Trying to ignore it all is easier said than done

Tell me how · 14-12-2020 5:52pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

I understand the government does not care not jot about people.

I think rolling lockdowns ad finitum will lead to endless job losses and suicides and yes of course their are countless better alternatives like not having them for a start.

Your callous disregard strikes me as eerily and savagely cold.

You describe suicide as 'an unfortunate side effect'

Sweet Jesus that is cold as ice.

The government is made up of people as well you know. People who live among us and are elected at least every years.
It's so blase to say they don't care about people. It's an easy accusation without much analysis.

An increase in Suicide deaths would indeed be an unfortunate side effect. It is a horrific experience for anyone to lose someone in this way but so too is losing people who are frequently treated in and often die in isolation. By all means knock governmental mental health support in general in Ireland (you should see it elsewhere) but I too am cynically looking at this thread as possibly patronizing mental health victims in order to have a go at the government who you no doubt see as 'the elite'.

There's a lot of negative around lockdown, I've also seen several people express gratitude at the reduction in pace and pressure from work environments which were often going at 90mph. People who are happy to be able to spend more time with their families. Surely these people would say their mental health has improved as a consequence of this? Should we praise the government for this improvement, or only attribute negative outcomes to them?

14-12-2020 5:55pm

Howard Beale wrote: »

Doubt hypochondriacs over all this covid nonsense will kill themselves though.

What nonsense, specifically?

You're speaking in tongues, with vague, ill-defined rants against.......I don't actually know what. The Gubbermint, supposedly?

So, time to put up or shut up.
What do you mean by "this covid nonsense"?
What do you think should have happened?.......bar your post earlier that lockdowns shouldn't have happened, you haven't put forward any other possible solutions.
So, what would your solution be to prevent the number of Covid deaths exceeding this supposed, anecdotal surge in suicide rates?

Also, LOL at the irony of someone who didn't want any lockdowns calling another person callous

14-12-2020 6:01pm

Tell me how wrote: »

I've also seen several people express gratitude at the reduction in pace and pressure from work environments which were often going at 90mph. People who are happy to be able to spend more time with their families. Surely these people would say their mental health has improved as a consequence of this? Should we praise the government for this improvement, or only attribute negative outcomes to them?

Anecdotal of course, but I've seen a lot of this going on. I'd say the positives of the restrictions have brought more good than bad to the overall population.

carq · 14-12-2020 6:04pm

Hard to get evidence increase in suicides in this country.
Lots of suicides are not counted as suicides, some cases it may be hard to tell - spate of 'single vehicle crashes' come to mind.
Sometimes other causes of deaths are listed to limit grief of the family.
This is all colloquial of course and each incident is unique.

Which reporting body keeps stats on things like this ?

titan18 · 14-12-2020 6:10pm

Again anecdotal here, but i'm someone who's attempted to kill myself twice in the past, I still go to counselling, and was on anti depressants (not anymore), but lockdown 1 had me feeling the best I've felt in years. Lockdown 1 was nearly a relief, no commuting for work, much more time for myself, and whilst it might have been sh1te for other people, the fact that no one else could do anything was great. Had no social media posts that i was comparing my life to, or people in work going I did this and this for the weekend and me feeling crap cos I sat at home doing nothing. Tbh, other than not going into work, and no cinema, gym or travelling, my life changed very little, so most people were just experiencing my regular life.

I've heard the same from my GP and counsellor when I told them that that they found a lot of people were saying the same.

Lockdown 2, feck that one tbf. The darker nights compared to lockdown 1 don't help at all. Again, anecdotal, but from talking to people in work on webex etc, most are tired of it all, it was grand for a while, but the WFH isn't ideal this long

El_Duderino 09 · 14-12-2020 6:15pm

Suicides are sad, no question about it. But they happened before covid too. So if you take the increase in number of people who die by suicide, it would be eclipsed by the number who would have died without lockdowns. Sounds callus to make it a numbers game, but how else do you decide what’s best to do?

Anecdotally, I’ve heard that proxy measures suggest lockdowns have an impact on mental health, such as increased calls to Samaritans.

All I’d say is if you know someone who’s struggling, call them for a chat.

Beasty · 14-12-2020 8:34pm

Seriously?

Bringing suicide into this to try and gain support for your anti-establishment agenda?

Stick to the relaxation of restrictions thread if you feel they will be too stringent

Lockdowns and Suicide

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