Early numbers indicate that
the suicide rate actually declined last year. I had conversations with several COVID deniers/minimizers who argued that COVID death tolls ignored the inevitable increase in suicide from COVID mitigation efforts.
The article suggests a "heroism" effect as one cause of the decline. I also wonder if the slower pace of life wasn't a net-positive for mental health that offset the negative effect of decreased social interaction. Anecdotally, my wife and I have talked about how much calmer our life has been without running hither and thither to kids events, committee meetings, work travel, etc. We are trying to figure out ways to keep from automatically returning to our pre-pandemic level of busyness.