Tingley (2021) from New York Times published an article which was keen to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on suicidal behavior among human beings, using results from the CDC survey published in their weekly journal on August 14, 2020. The article made reference to the CDC journal except it was written and analyzed differently from the journal. Tingley (2021) organized information in an explanatory design while making key references to available data about the subject. The author of the article began by giving an introduction about the context of the article, which is suicide, as related to the pandemic. Furthermore, Tingley (2021) provided empirical evidence that prove existence of the problem of suicide and escalating prevalence rates during stressful times such as the current covid-19 pandemic. The author evaluated the presented forms of evidence using comparative analysis as a way of finding a validation to their speculations about suicide and the pandemic. The author finalizes the article by providing a concluding statement about the subject based on their analysis of evidence provided. Tingley (2021) stated that no conclusive results were found to specifically link the pandemic to the increasing suicide cases in the U.S. However, the author also gives a recommendation of better approaches to research to determine existing links.
On the other hand, the CDC journal began by providing an introduction that provided an idea about what the rest of the study will cover. The journal stated that the pandemic has had mental effects on many people across the world, which in extreme cases lead to suicide ( Czeisler et al., 2020) . The journal followed up by stating the results of the survey conducted. That is, the percentage of people found with mental health disorders, and those who had considered suicide ( Czeisler et al., 2020) . These results were stratified by age, gender, race, employment status, and residence classifications. Using tables, these results were reported to provide concise findings. The results were later analyzed under the discussion section. Unlike, the article, the journal did not provide a conclusion on the subject. Instead, it was completed by an acknowledgement section.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
However, both the article and the journal agree on the existing gap in research about the relationship about human suicidal behavior and pandemics such as the COVID-19. Both studies provided evidence of a link between mental illnesses and suicide using empirical data and psychological science theories, but failed to determine the connection of the pandemic to mental illnesses.
The target lay audience of my choice is government agencies concerned with alleviating socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the research was to establish that the pandemic has increased the suicide rates in the country. Therefore, an effective format to relay this information to these agencies will require a presentation of a background of the subject, historical data on mental illnesses’ prevalence before and during the pandemic, suicide rates data before and during the pandemic, and an analysis that investigates if any statistical correlation exists. Lastly, based on the outcome of the analysis, a discussion and recommendation on viable solutions to reduce suicide rates and the spread of the virus. This format will provide a clear guideline for the agencies, which can be processed systematically to understand how each factor is connected to the next. Therefore, it will be easier to establish action plans regarding the problem.
References
Czeisler, M. É., Lane, R. I., Petrosky, E., Wiley, J. F., Christensen, A., Njai, R., ... & Rajaratnam, S. M. (2020). Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, June 24–30, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , 69 (32), 1049.
Tingley (2021). Will the pandemic result to more suicides? New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/magazine/will-the-pandemic-result-in-more-suicides.html
