Increase in overdoses, suicides during pandemic

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - According to the Associated Press, overdose deaths soared to a record high during the pandemic.

There were 93,000 overdose deaths, which is about a 29 percent increase from the previous year.

Even more devastating? St. Joseph County Coroner Patricia Jordan said it is impacting us locally.

“We’ve seen a lot of overdoses. We’ve seen suicides. All of our cases are up. I believe we are up 42 cases from last year at this time and I can’t help but think that COVID had a major impact in that...The age group goes from young to old...It doesn’t just hit a certain age group,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the coroner’s office plans to work with the health department to help minimize these outcomes.

“Coping mechanisms have gone out the window for a lot of people and as a result people are turning towards other methods that don’t work out so well for them,” Jordan said.

Licensed therapist and life coach, Rhonda Gipson-Willis, said the lockdowns made people feel isolated.

Thus, it made it harder to get treatment.

“Anyone who is struggling needs to make sure they are connected to other people. The biggest deficit or the biggest barrier to what happened with the pandemic is that a lot of us ended up in isolation,” Gipson-Willis said.

She said it is important to get help and to show up for loved ones who are struggling.

“It’s time for us as a global community to really look at how we need to invest strengthening the coping skills, enforcing more safety nets, and making sure that people understand it’s okay not to be okay. We can reach out. We don’t need to have secrecy or any type of stigma behind it,” Gipson-Willis she said.

There are resources available right here in our community.

And remember, there are also suicide and addictions hotlines.

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