(Vermont) State monitoring suicides amid the coronavirus lockdown (April 9, 11:02 am)

State officials are monitoring a potential uptick in suicides in Vermont as the state battles the coronavirus pandemic.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling said there were 3-4 suicides last weekend alone, which “gave us concern that there might be a trend.” Schirling mentioned this concern during a press conference on Monday.

However, last month was not exceptionally high, apart from last weekend. There were nine suicides in Vermont reported between March 1 and April 6 this year, compared to eight during that same period in 2019.

Schirling said the Department of Mental Health, together with his department, is “enhancing efforts around prevention and messaging and encouraging all Vermonters to connect virtually with everyone in their family, friend, and neighbor networks to check in on them during this difficult time.”

https://vtdigger.org/liveblog/state-monitoring-suicides-amid-the-coronavirus-lockdown/