Last month, ABC News reported on the results of a survey of 1157 Victorians conducted in September last year. Those results have just been published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, but amid the exhaustive (and exhausting) media coverage of the coronavirus crisis have barely rated a mention. It is to the credit of the ABC the survey received any attention at all.

During September 2020, 9.5 per cent of respondents to the survey reported having seriously considered suicide in the previous 30 days; 33.4 per cent of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, and 12.3 per cent of respondents reported starting or increasing their use of substances to manage their emotions.