The coronavirus pandemic could 'unleash a wave of suicide' by firearm in the US, public health officials warn

• The coronavirus pandemic could lead to a spike in suicide by firearm, according to three doctors and public health experts who co-authored an op-ed in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
• They cited data that showed a sharp uptick in handgun sales in March, and said that suicide rates tend to increase around natural disasters and societal economic hardship.
• To prevent these deaths, the doctors called for stricter gun control laws and better access to mental health services.
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Months of pandemic-induced isolation have left people around the world feeling lonely and helpless.

Those feelings, coupled with access to firearms, could "unleash a wave of suicide" in the coming weeks and months, according to a new opinion article from doctors at Boston Children's Hospital.

In the editorial, which was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the authors said the recent increase in firearm sales over the past few months is a red flag for them.

"In the best of times, increased gun ownership is associated with a heightened risk for firearm-related suicide," the authors wrote.

"These are not the best of times. The United States faces an unprecedented combination of a public health and economic disaster ... Many people live in isolation, and the mental health of the population will likely suffer. Combined, these forces create a climate with the potential to increase firearm-related suicides."

Natural disasters and economic hardship increase psychological distress

The doctors likened the coronavirus pandemic to a natural disaster because it leads to both physical isolation and financial hardship.

They also drew parallels with the 2008 economic crisis, which led to increased unemployment-related suicide risk. A September 2013 study in The BMJ found there were 4,884 more suicides in Europe and the Americas following the crisis compared to the year prior.

There's been an uptick in small-gun sales since the pandemic began

Research from non-partisan agency Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting found that 1.5 million handguns were purchased in March, while 802,560 handguns were sold in March 2019.

According to the editorial authors, this 91.1% increase in handgun sales is concerning in the context of the pandemic, which has increased economic and mental stressors like ever-rising unemployment rates, stay-at-home orders, and school closures.

Though there is a well-establish link between gun sales and suicides, that alone has never been enough to persuade governments to limit access to guns. But this is different.

"What is new is the economic and social tsunami caused by COVID-19," the doctors wrote.

"This combination of factors could unleash a wave of suicide that is disastrously enabled by the unfettered and growing exposure to household firearms."

Unless governments double down on mental health support and gun reform, an increase in suicide rates is inevitable, doctors say

The doctors called for a two-fold approach to preventing this pandemic suicide risk.

First, they called on state and federal governments to double down on gun reform laws that make it more difficult for distressed people to obtain firearms.

They also said therapists and other clinicians should be aware and educated on this risk so they can spot the signs in their patients and offer help where needed.

"[T]his is a predictable and preventable second wave," they wrote, adding: "The time to act is now."

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