Is There a Link Between Economic Factors and Suicide?

"With policy changes, it's possible to argue that suicides may increase in the next few years. Individuals are losing their health care because of Medicaid cuts, losing food stamps because nutrition assistance is disappearing, losing the benefit of school meals for children, or fearing deportation despite being a U.S. citizen or having a legal visa. Without support systems that have been in place for years, it's nor hard to imagine people being overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that cause them to give up."

"Offsetting this: Large layoffs in individual businesses probably won't have a significant effect on the overall unemployment rate, nor will a government shutdown. It may be more difficult in certain areas for segments of the population to get a job, one that enables them and their families to live above the poverty line, but it's unlikely that we'll see anything on the order of the Depression, when few could find work."

Economic conditions, especially unemployment, exert the strongest influence on suicide rates. Untreated mental illness, an aging population, firearm proliferation, and substance abuse also raise suicide risk but to lesser degrees. Policy changes that strip health care, nutrition assistance, school meals, or expose people to deportation anxiety can increase despair and suicides, particularly among targeted minorities. Large layoffs or a government shutdown are unlikely to raise national unemployment to Depression levels, though localized joblessness can harm families. National crises often boost social connectedness and temporarily lower suicide rates, with historical declines during world wars and after major national events.

Read at Psychology Today