Study: Suicide Rates Rise Among Nurses in COVID Environment

A disturbing study published in December found that the mental health of nurses is in danger because of the stress and strain of caring for COVID-19 patients. The study revealed that nurses are increasingly using guns to commit suicide after trying other methods of ending their lives were not successful. It has been speculated for years that women nurses are at higher risk of dying from suicide than other women, which the study confirmed.

According to Forbes, Judy E. Davidson, a nurse scientist at University of California San Diego, conducted the study. Davidson found that 35% of nurses used pharmaceuticals and 33% used firearms to take their lives. The researcher said she does not know why nurses started using firearms in 2017 for suicide because before that they were less likely to turn to guns for this mission.

She said this worries her, according to Forbes, because the pandemic has increased both the stress load on nurses and firearm purchases — which her study shows is a deadly combination.

''Even though we were at high risk all along, now we are at greater risk,'' she said. The American Nurses Association and the Nursing Alliance are raising awareness by providing information and resources about mental health and suicide prevention to their members.

''Nurses are known not to care for themselves as much as they care for others. It's just a part of who we are," she told MedPage Today. "But now with this whole movement towards preventing burnout, increasing joy in the workplace, increasing resiliency, this is a piece of that puzzle ... sadly it took a tragic event to get the ball rolling."

The goal of the national study was to "quantify the incidence, methods, and predictive factors of nurse suicide in the United States," the researchers wrote.

A 24/7 resource is the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to speak to a counselor.