There have been more suicide deaths than deaths caused by COVID-19 in the US.

While the number of suicide deaths in the US is lower than the deaths caused by COVID-19, the pandemic has caused a spike in suicide rates.

While the number of suicide deaths in the US is lower than the deaths caused by COVID-19, the pandemic has caused a spike in suicide rates.The National Institute of Mental Health, quoting data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlighted that in 2018, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 48,000 people. Moreover, there were more than two and a half times as many suicides in the United States as there were homicides (18,830). From 1999 through 2018, the total suicide rate in the United States increased by 35 percent from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999 to 14.2 per 100,000 in 2018. For 2017, CDC also listed suicide as one of the top ten causes of deaths and had reported 47,173 deaths due to suicide.

As of Oct 11, CDC data shows that 213,037 people have died in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although the suicide death toll is significantly lower than the deaths caused by the coronavirus, the pandemic has aggravated mental health problems in many sections of the population. Experts have warned that the number of suicides may witness a spike due to pandemic-induced anxieties. A report published in the Journal of American Medicine observed that secondary consequences of social distancing might increase the risk of suicide. Economic stress, social isolation, decreased access to community and religious support, barriers to mental health treatment, illness, and medical problems are the risk factors that can cause suicide rates to peak. American Foundation of Suicide Prevention estimated that, on average, 132 Americans died by suicide each day, and 1.4 million Americans attempted suicide in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.