NAMI HelpLine

Unemployment, isolation: COVID-19’s mental health impact

Posted on April 7, 2020

The current pandemic is not just a medical tragedy. Even when the medical threat has disappeared, psychiatrists say people across the globe will battle psychological scars for years. Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer of NAMI told ABC News that rates of suicide aren't always closely tied with viral pandemics or high rates of unemployment: "In the past few years we have seen a rise in suicide despite economic prosperity." Duckworth said the pandemic seems to be fanning the flames, with NAMI seeing an increase in calls related to anxiety and depression over COVID-19. 

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