The 2020 suicide numbers are down in most parts of Kentucky, 19% lower than last year according to an internal analysis of state suicide numbers from the Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System.

“This is a time of more connection, sometimes it’s forced,” Beck Whipple, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Kentucky Suicide Prevention Resource Center said. “Families are spending more time together and that might be a protective factor. People are becoming more connected, intentionally. The pace of life is slowed down. There’s not so many things to juggle.”

2020 has been marked by an increase in gun violence, but suicides involving firearms are also down.

“I think that there has been a shift in our focus as individuals to maintain mental wellness,” Whitney Austin, founder of Whitney/Strong, said. “It’s not acceptable to just turn and burn our bodies and our minds.”

But state officials are watching for a possible delayed impact of COVID-19 and warn more safety nets could be needed after disruptions have subsided.

“That post-traumatic stress is increased and so we are all kind of maybe white-knuckling our mental wellness right now,” Whipple said. “And after a period of time, it will be a little bit too much.”