Who Is at Risk for Suicide During COVID-19?

The pandemic has placed Americans under unprecedented stress. It stands to reason that suicide rates would rise across the board.

But according to Paul Nestadt, MD, early data out of Maryland suggests that suicides during the initial COVID-19 wave actually dropped, compared to previous years. At the same time, Nestadt’s research also found that suicide rates among Black Marylanders rose sharply. In this Mental Health Video, he explains his findings, and what they might mean for clinical practice.

Dr Nestadt is assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He also serves as the co-director and supervising psychiatrist for the Johns Hopkins Anxiety Disorders Clinic.