RALEIGH, N.C. – Mental health professionals said North Carolina could see thousands of additional deaths due to the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study released last week by the Well Being Trust found that depending on how quickly the economy recovers, North Carolina could see some 2,400 or more additional so-called “deaths of despair.” The term refers to suicides and alcohol and drug-related deaths. Researchers said studies have generally found suicides rise by roughly 1-1.6 percent for each percentage point increase in unemployment. The foundation's chief strategy officer, Dr. Ben Miller, said unemployment takes away a person's sense of purpose as well as their paycheck.

Miller's organization isn't the only group sounding the alarm. In 2015, a University of Zurich team found the global suicide rate increased by about 12 percent between 2007 and 2009, when the Great Recession set in. Two weeks ago, that study's authors compared the data from that study to job losses due to COVID-19 and mandatory shutdowns. They concluded unemployment associated with the pandemic could lead to between 2,100 and about 10,000 additional suicides distributed across the globe.

Miller said the report doesn't mean people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic will commit suicide. Rather, it means certain people may be at higher risk for taking their own lives.

If you or someone you know is seriously contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline right away. That number is 1-800-273-8255. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also has a number of resources available, including hotlines geared specifically toward the needs of medical workers and first responders.