Florida Suicides Decline 13 Percent in 2020 Despite Coronavirus Pandemic
By Rudy TakalaFeb 10th, 2021, 3:44 pm
Florida saw a significant decline in suicides last year, according to new data, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The figure fell by 13 percent statewide compared to 2019, according to preliminary Medical Examiner data obtained by
The Miami Herald, and by 16 percent compared to 2018. The rate fell even more significantly in Miami, by 20 percent compared to 2019 and by 25 percent compared to 2018.
Suicide figures for the United States, which are maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will not be released until later this spring.
However, Florida’s data runs contrary to a survey conducted by the CDC last June, in the early days of the pandemic, that found a growing number of young Americans were considering suicide. Of those aged 18-24, 10.7 percent said they “seriously considered” suicide in the 30 days before they were surveyed, more than double the 4.3 percent who said they had considered it during the preceding 12 months in 2018.