Wichita police say suicides in the city are up 70% this year, and stress from the coronavirus outbreak is likely a major factor. Police said Monday the city had 76 suicides as of Friday, an increase from 44 at the same time last year and and 59 in all of 2019. There have been 367 suicide attempts so far this year.
Detective James Hook, the department's mental health liaison, speculated that stresses related to the coronavirus; such as job loss, social events being cancelled and stay-at-home orders, are primary factors in the increase.
