Law enforcement is seeing a spike in mental health wellness and domestic violence calls since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March. (Getty Images)
UTAH COUNTY — Law enforcement reports a 34% spike in mental health calls since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic violence calls are also up 62% from this time last year.
Although there are no scientific studies backing this up, law enforcement like Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon think the COVID-19 pandemic is playing a large part in the problem.
Cannon said many people are out of a job and stuck at home.
“It is completely reasonable to think that family circumstances can cause increases like that,” Cannon said.
And it’s not the first time that financial stress has led to these problems of increased domestic violence calls.
“We saw it especially back during the recession in 2008, where so many people were out of work,” Cannon said. “When you have those kind of circumstances that come up, sometimes the relationships don’t always go through difficulties or handle stress in appropriate ways and we end up getting called.”
Law enforcement is reminding domestic violence victims to reach out for help, while those with mental health issues are also being encouraged to speak up and get treatment.