The link between unemployment and suicides will be a concern that has to be addressed while the majority of the population stays-in to duck the coronavirus pandemic

Even a pandemic can’t shock the media out of its blinding hostility to President Trump — witness this week’s absurd press eruption after he warned of a likely rise in suicides.

“People get tremendous anxiety and depression, and you have suicides over things like this when you have terrible economies,” Trump noted at a briefing, adding that he believes the isolation many Americans face thanks to social distancing will also lead to more mental health issues.

There’s nothing incorrect — or even controversial — in those remarks. But media outlets that would normally echo any concern about higher mental-health risks proceed to be outraged.

I wonder if the mainstream media will report the fact that more people have died from suicide in one county than people have from the virus in the entire state, we are talking about Knox County in Tennessee.

As the Federalist reported Knox County, Tennessee saw nine deaths by suicide within 48 hours this week as doomsday predictions over the novel Wuhan coronavirus panic an already anxious public and leave millions unemployed and isolated.

In Tennessee, the crisis is taking its toll on those who were not physically sick but who appear to have fallen victim to the virus anyway. As of this writing, more people have died from suicide in Knox County than people have from the virus in the entire state, where there have been 6 fatalities from the disease, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

“That number is completely shocking and makes me wonder if what we are doing now is really the best approach,” said Knoxville, Tennessee Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “We have to determine how we can respond to COVID-19 in a way that keeps our economy intact, keeps people employed and empowers them with a feeling of hope and optimism – not desperation and despair.”

While it is unclear at this point whether the recent suicides were directly linked to the epidemic of the spread virus, their timing alone is strongly indicative, if not proof that they were. According to local Knoxville news station WBIR, the county’s suicides over the span of two days this week equates to about 10 percent of last year’s total where 83 lives were lost to suicide.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline has reportedly seen incoming calls triple.

Much of the media would rush to contradict Trump if he announced that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. At a time of national crisis, it’s beyond pathetic.

The national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-8255. More resources are here.

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