A 12-year-old Texas boy reportedly hanged himself after having an episode of depression during the coronavirus lockdowns.
“COVID killed my son,” the boy’s father, Brad Hunstable, said. “I think Hayden would still be alive today if COVID had never happened.”
Hayden Hunstable of Aledo was found by his 9-year-old sister last April hanging in his bedroom three days before his 13th birthday. It came after the child became depressed after trying to cope with the isolation resulting from the coronavirus lockdowns, the New York Post reported.
Brad Hunstable referred to his son’s situation as the “perfect storm for suicide and depression.”
“I think everything just got on top of him, he felt overwhelmed, and he made a tragic decision,” he added.
Brad Hunstable said that his son, who he referred to as his best friend, was having a hard time handling the loss of social interaction with other children, including not being able to play on his football team.
The 12-year-old had also taken a strong dislike to being prevented from learning in a classroom after being relegated to online learning.
“He loved football, and he loved being around people. He was very social,” Hayden’s father said. “He was a little guy, but he had the heart of a lion. He was beloved by his friends and family.”
Last year, a study conducted by Just Facts concluded that the social disruption caused by strict lockdown measures could destroy up to seven times more years of life than the number of lives that would be saved from the virus.
Earlier this month, a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association showed an increase in emergency room visits for mental health issues and suicide attempts from March to October 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.
