Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 8, 2020

Quantitative Estimation of Covid-19 Related Unemployment On Suicide and Excess Mortality in the United States

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  • Bhatia estimates impacts of unemployment in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide and all-cause mortality by extrapolating from a study of unemployment and suicide rate during the 2007–2010 Great Recession and a meta-analysis of 40 studies evaluating the relationship between unemployment and all-cause mortality. They predict 7,444 excess deaths from suicide in the coming year and 556,000 avoidable deaths from all causes over the next 10 years due to unemployment. 
  • Decision makers can incorporate indirect health impacts in constructing policies to strike a balance between the benefits and costs of mitigation. 

Bhatia. (May 8, 2020). Quantitative Estimation of Covid-19 Related Unemployment On Suicide and Excess Mortality in the United States. Pre-print downloaded May 8 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.02.20089086