UK Covid death toll

[Tom Joad]

From Full Fact

Numerous prominent Twitter users have claimed that suicides have supposedly increased 200% under lockdown. 

However, we can find no evidence at the time of writing to support this claim. It is unclear where this statistic has come from, or how the information would already be available. Samaritans, a charity that provides help for those at risk of suicide, have said they currently have no evidence of a rise in suicide rates.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) told Full Fact the information was not from them. The ONS does record and release statistics on suicide, however these are usually published after the measured time period. The most recent full statistical release covering the UK is for 2018, while the most recent provisional figures for England cover 2019. Lockdown in the UK began at the end of March.

Full report here https://fullfact.org/online/suicide-200-percent/

I sincerely hope the Samaritans are right (No apparent increase in suicides). From my experience I have noticed a wide spectrum of people who have been adversely affected by lockdown.  The family friends who are increasingly paranoid, to the extent they are becoming obese through going hardly anywhere, the mates mom (90) who doesn't leave her room in the Care Home and has gone from being bright as a button to very confused in 6 months. A relative with a (fairly) minor back problem that has become paranoid and won't leave his flat at all, plus various single friends who are fed up (I can't say for sure they are medically depressed) as their social lives have vanished. Those are all off the top of my head, I'm certain if I ask Mrs.Tom she'll have plenty too.
 I had this in mind when I started "The Way Forward?" thread, because I genuinely wanted to canvas opinion on the least-worst way through this.