New Data Shows No Sign Of Pandemic-Related Suicide Spike In Hawaii … Meanwhile, the state is preparing for the launch of a new hotline akin to 911 for mental health support.
Although experts have warned about the coronavirus pandemic’s eroding effect on mental health, new data from Hawaii health officials shows no signs of a pandemic-related increase in deaths by suicide in the islands.
All told, there were 195 documented suicides in Hawaii in 2021, according to data analyzed by Daniel Galanis, an epidemiologist at the state Department of Health. That compares to 180 suicides in 2020, 217 suicides in 2019, 171 in 2018 and 221 in 2017.
Taken together, the five years of annual statistics reveal no clear trends and “definitely not an apparent increase related to the pandemic,” Galanis said in an email.
