Sergeant Simon Kempton, the Police Federations lead for coronavirus has said it is becoming “all too easy for some of these people in crisis to fall through the gaps”. He also told MP’s that there “are very early indications of an increase in suicide attempts and suicides”.
The charity SANE give warnings that the coronavirus and lockdown could trigger a ‘mental health crisis’. Calls to the charity helpline risen dramatically since the outbreak began with 80% of people phoning SANEline over the past 2 weeks over worries about Covid-19. There is also predictions that hundreds of thousands of people could develop chronic physical and mental health conditions in the long term, mostly as a result of financial strain. However, most articles and experts say that it is too early to see any correlation between coronavirus and suicide rates.
Despite this, there has been multiple, tragic cases that have happened during this lockdown.
Daniel Furniss, 34, from Crookhorn is believed to be the first death by suicide due to coronavirus reported in the UK. His family said that loneliness pushed Daniel, who suffered from bipolar, “over the edge”.
Emily Owen, who was only 19 years old, had high-functioning autism and was a waitress. She was said to have been unable to cope during the lock-down and had warned loved ones days before her death as she posted “more people will die from suicide during this than the virus itself”. Questions are raised, if the warning signs were clear, why wasn’t this tragedy prevented?
Ben Brown was a 22 year old Loughborough University student, who also was struggling with the impact of living in lockdown, also sadly took his own life in his student home.
The charity MIND currently have some ‘tips’ online about how to cope with loneliness during lockdown. Their first tip is to ‘take things slow’ and talks about going to cinemas and cafes to get them out of the house. Initial thoughts, imagine being lonely and desperate for advice, and the first thing you read is to go out, when you can’t? I believe this could be very discouraging for people who are seeking help.
However they do offer online communities, such as Elefriends, to tackle loneliness also and warn about social media and how to not compare yourself to others.
Other tips taken from MIND which I think people should take note of:
think about your diet- eat regularly and healthy
try to do some physical activity, even it is just a walk or some starjumps in your bedroom.
try to spend some time outside
avoid drugs and alcohol
try to get enough sleep
A personal tip from me is to make your bed every morning. Making your bed and making sure your room is tidy when you wake up, gives you a sense of accomplishment to start your day, and I believe it makes you feel more productive. Also if you spend a lot of time sat in your room, having a tidy space helps to have a clear mind and helps to boost your productivity and mood.
Should more be done to help people struggling? Should help be more readily available? From the articles I read, it seems we will have to wait to see if there is any link between Covid-19 and mental health. In my opinion, there is not enough obvious support, however there is some useful tips and links which I will highlight in this blog.
If you are reading this, and are feeling low, or lonely, or just need someone to chat to, then feel free to message me. My twitter is @saffywhite2. Even if I don’t know you, please feel free to talk to me.
Below I will give some useful contacts. Please feel free to copy these and post them. Send them to your friends, even the ones who seem like they are positive, you never know who might need them.
Samaritans- suicide 24 hour support call 116 123.
Befriending networks- befriending.co.uk
The Silver Line- for over 55’s who are feeling isolated and alone 0800 4 70 80 90
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