September 10, 2020
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and today – September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day.
NPR reported this morning that:
Teen and youth anxiety and depression are getting worse since the COVID lockdowns began in March, early studies suggest, and many experts say they fear a corresponding increase in youth suicide.
At the end of June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed almost 10,000 Americans on their mental health. They found symptoms of anxiety and depression were up sharply across the board between March and June of this year, compared with the same time the previous year. And young people seemed to be the hardest-hit of any group.
Almost 11 percent of all respondents to that survey said they had “seriously considered” suicide in the past 30 days. For those ages 18 to 24, the number was 1 in 4 — more than twice as high.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay answers local calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and additional crisis lines. And we’re joined now by Clara Reynolds, President and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
