The DuPage County Coroner says there's been an "alarming" increase in the number of suicides and overdose deaths in the first half of this year.
Dr. Richard Jorgensen said suspects the pandemic has played a major role, WBBM Newsradio’s Jim Gudas reports.
Compared to the first half of 2019, the number of suicides in DuPage County rose by nearly 23 percent, while overdose deaths were about 52 percent higher, Jorgensen said Thursday.
He said people had pre-existing conditions such as mental health issues, depression or loneliness. He suspects these problems were intensified by either being forced to shelter-in-place or other stresses related to the pandemic.
Jorgensen says during the pandemic many counselors in DuPage County are booked solid, and getting help can be challenging.