Suicide-related internet searches during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Experts anticipate that the societal fallout associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will increase suicidal behavior, and strategies to address this anticipated increase have been woven into policy decision-making without contemporaneous data.1,2 For instance, President Trump cited increased suicides as an argument against COVID-19 control measures during the first presidential debate on September 29, 2020.