Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

McAllister, Carolyn

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on many challenges, one of them being the increase of suicidal ideation among individuals with a mental health diagnosis. This study seeks to determine the key factors that increased suicidal ideation by interviewing clients from a mental health agency. This is an important topic since suicide rates have been steadily increasing throughout the last 19 years. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews virtually with mental health clinicians at the study site. The themes found in this study were fear of COVID, isolation, anxiety, and depression. A subtheme found in this study was social isolation. Understanding the key factors that led to suicide will help social workers address the needs of each client during a pandemic. Implications that can be drawn from this study for future research would be to have further studies in suicide prevention. These findings can assist social workers and their agencies in modifying their policies and procedures to better serve these individuals. Social work practice can benefit greatly from the findings uncovered in this study.

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