COVID Isolation and Suicidality

The mention of “COVID-19” and hospitalization for COVID peaked in 22-23, and the mention of “coronavirus”, “pandemic”, and isolation from COVID peaked in 20-21. I found that five blog posts discussed COVID-19 concerning suicidality. Two blogs shared that the COVID-19 quarantine period helped with their recovery. One blogger expressed that the COVID-19 quarantine helped them recover from suicidal ideation. Another blogger expressed that the quarantine made them feel less alone as someone who has a chronic illness. One blogger found that there was new suicidal ideation in some cases and a decrease in stress factors in others. Two blogs shared that the COVID-19 quarantine period was harmful to their well-being. One blogger shared that COVID-19 triggered fear of the unknown, sadness, and grief. Another blogger expressed that long-haul COVID increased their and other’s suicidality. This indicates that COVID-19 impacted bloggers on The Mighty platform differently and depended on circumstance. The impact of COVID-19 on an individual’s suicidality cannot be simply generalized but must be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

The word “isolation” was used 6 times in 2018-2019, 2 times in 2020-2021, and 3 times in 2022-2023. The word “lonely” was used 0 times in 2018-2019, 2 times in 2020-2021, and 3 times in 2022-2023. This displayed that isolation and loneliness increased with the impact of COVID-19. This may be due to various factors, but one reason may be that COVID-19 was a shared experience internationally and built a sense of community and understanding among individuals, despite the physical isolation that occurred.