Though health experts typically find that the holidays are a time when suicide rates are at their lowest, during this pandemic holiday season, many of the stressors that may lead a person to consider ending his or her life are rising.

The families of more than 300,000 people are grieving the loss of a loved one from the coronavirus. According to polling by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 46% of households are “facing serious financial problems” because of the pandemic. A rise in intimate partner violence and an increase in divorce requests over the previous year demonstrate that COVID-19 is profoundly affecting personal relationships and safety. Alcohol sales are up by more than 20% over 2019, possibly indicating that more people are turning to dangerous and excessive alcohol consumption to cope with stress.